Hicca and Her Dragon 2
by Heart of the Night Fury
Summary: It's been five years since Hicca met Toothless. Five years since the defeat of the Red Death. Five years since she did the unthinkable; fall in love with a dragon. Now word is going around that Drago Bludvist is building a dragon army. Can Hicca stop him before it's too late? And what's this 'thing' between her and Toothless that could cause their relationship to end? Rated T
1. Something Out There

**Hey guys, it's me! And guess what? I'M FINALLY STARTING THE SEQUEL TO 'HICCA AND HER DRAGON'! YAAAAY!**

**Now, I am aware of the stories that i must attend to. But! I felt that I put this particular story off for far too long. This first chapter should've been posted a long time ago, and for that I am sorry. Please accept my sincerest apologies.**

**Now! Listen closely. I started writing this chapter literally the night before last and I just finished it 10 minutes ago. So, I will understand if there are a few grammar errors that I missed while editing. I hope you like this, and I bet you will. :)**

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_"The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you."_

_Lost in Translation(2003)_

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Hicca and Her Dragon 2

Ch. 1  
Something Out There

This is Berk; the best kept secret this side of, well… anywhere. And that's saying something, considering our world has expanded, so to speak, over the past couple of years. Granted, it may not look like much, but this wet heap of rock packs more than a few surprises. And, for those of you who keep your relationships strictly 'human based', that's _really _saying something.

Life here is amazing, just not for the faint of heart. No, seriously, if you're not into wild, crazing games going on and things blowing up two or three times a week, you'll most likely have a heart attack within the first week of being here. You see, where most folks enjoy hobbies like witling or needlepoint, we Berkians prefer a little something we like to call… Dragon Racing!

Yeah, you heard me. Dragon Racing. Basically it's this huge race where dragon riders race in this big circle around the whole island. The goal is to collect as many sheep as possible. White sheep are worth one point each. The black sheep is worth ten points, and it's only released in the last lap. Normally, whoever ends up with the black sheep wins, but there have been a few rare occasions where it's only brought someone one point away from a win. I'm not sure what would happen if there was a tie; we haven't had one yet. Hard to believe, I know.

Now, dragons used to be a bit of a problem here. I should know, I practically helped with some of the destruction along with them for many years. But, that was five years ago. Now they've all moved in, and really, why wouldn't they? We have costume stables, all-you-can-eat feeding stations, a full-service dragon wash, even top of the line fire prevention, if I do say-so myself. And believe it or not, all of those things were designed and eventually built by me. And those aren't the only things that have improved here.

Berk loves dragons. For a village that was made famous for it's reputation of dragon killing, it's really turned around. Everyone on the island loves dragons now. I mean, sure, they were a bit nervous at first and we had a few mishaps, but what else do you expect? I mean, they are dragons after all. Eventually, people looked past that and really liked having them around. And they love it when the dragons use their humanoid form. They think humanoids look really cool and it makes it a little easer for some to bond with their dragons.

Yep, Berk is pretty much perfect. All of my hard work has paid off, and it's a good thing too. Because with Vikings on the backs of dragons, the world just got a whole lot bigger. I mean, I'd love to tell you more, I really would. But, if you could see where I was right now, you'd now that I'm a little bit busy…

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I loved the wind. Just the feeling of that cold, powerful force pushing against my face and going through my hair was unreal! But, I knew better. I knew that there were times where I would need to keep my face covered and protected. That's why I had my helmet on right now. I could take it off later when I was going slower. But right now, I didn't want to go slower.

I leaned forward, my hands gripping the handles of the saddle as my legs hung back. Toothless was lower now, just barley grazing the water of the ocean. I turned my head and gave the handles a slight tug, and Toothless moved over. We hovered and flew over a pack of Thunderdrums that were swimming just underneath the surface of the water. Toothless maneuvered around them, avoiding them when they leapt out of the water. Once we were past them I changed positions and latched my foot and my metal peg-leg into the petals. I moved the petal of my right foot down, changing the position of the tail. Toothless folded his wings and did a barrel roll under the right wing of a Thunderdrum that just leapt out of the water. I couldn't help the happy yelp that escaped me.

Toothless straightened out and spread his wings as he tipped upward, heading straight for the sky. With a happy chortle, he brought us up through and above the clouds. The sun hit my mask-covered face, shining through my eyeholes. Toothless flew left and right, gliding over the fluffy, white clouds. He then turned one his back and started flying upside down. I smiled as I arched my back, looking down below us. Toothless tilted downward and flew through the clouds before spreading his wings and bringing us up. He then started doing a barrel roll as he shot up into the air. I held onto the handles of the saddle and crouched my head, staying close to Toothless' body.

It was only when Toothless was above every cloud near us did he finally stop going higher. He let out a happy screeched as he fell down, his back to the ground. I reared my head around to look down as well. I got to say, the adrenaline rush I get when looking down at the earth from this height is wonderful. We fell straight through the clouds before Toothless maneuvered us and started flying straight again. But that ended quickly when I felt him start to tip over, turning upside down again. This time, I let go of the handles and stretched my arms out as wide as they could go. I loved the feeling of my arms gliding through the air so much that I didn't put them down even as Toothless straightened up again. I heard loud calls from above me and I looked up. There was a herd of Timberjacks flying above us, all making loud calls and yells. I finally lowered my arms as I lifted my head up to observe them more.

'Enjoying the view of another dragon, darling?'

I chuckled as I looked down to see Toothless looking up at me, a playful smirk on his scaly face.

"No, of course not," I said.

Toothless rolled his eyes and turned his head forward. I placed my hands on the surface of the saddle, looking outward.

"What do yah think, bud?" I asked, patting his head. "You wanna give this another shot?"

Toothless groaned. 'Love, please…'

"Toothless, it'll be fine!"

'Ugh…alright.'

I grinned down at him. I pushed my peg-leg forward, changing the tail position. I reached down to my left and yanked back the metal leaver that would hold the tail in place so that Toothless could glide. I pulled the hooks off the saddle and they retracted back into my belt.

"Ready?"

'As I'll ever be.'

I sat up, shaking my shoulders a bit to get comfortable. Slowly, I leaned to the right and slide off of Toothless. Now completely vertical, I shot down in a head dive towards the earth. I let out a loud, happy, energetic yell that went on for about five seconds.

'I'm right behind you, Hicca!'

I didn't have to look up to know that Toothless was diving towards me.

"YEAH…!"

I started spinning in circles as I continued to go down. A black mass crossed my vision and I saw Toothless was next to me, circling around me, his face never leaving mine. Still spinning, I snapped my head down to look at him, smiling even though he couldn't see it.

"Yeah!"

Toothless looked at me and stuck his tongue out. It flopped around as he gave me his signature, gummy smile. I giggled. Gods, he was still so adorable! Even after five years.

I spun in one more circle before finally stopping, looking down below as Toothless hovered over me. The clouds were parting and I could see the ocean from here. Gods, the wind surrounding me combined with the adrenaline pumping through my veins felt like sweet bliss sent straight from Valhalla. I leaned over and grabbed the loops on my legs with both of my hands and pulled them down. Then I yanked them up, and my flying suit expanded. I let out another happy yell as the force of the wind pushed me upward, lifting me back up amongst the clouds. I stopped rising and started soaring through the air, but I was unbalanced. I reached over and pushed the spring coil button on my leather chest plate. I heard a loud _flap _as the wing-like spikes in the back of my suit shot up. At once my flying balanced out so that I was now gliding smoothly through the air.

I turned my head to look back at Toothless. He tilted his head, smiling at me. I turned my head back around to look forward.

"Wow…!" I yelled. "Woohoo…!"

From behind me, I heard Toothless chuckle.

'Heads up!'

I heard the sound of him firing a plasma blast, and the plasma hit right under me. The force of the blast forced me to tilt upward. I laughed.

"Wow, yeah!" I yelled. "Do it again!"

Toothless did it once, twice, three times more, and each time my smile got wider and wider.

"This is amazing!" I called out.

I laughed as I looked ahead, and my smile instantly faded. Just ahead of me and closing in fast as a huge, tower like rock, and I was heading straight for it.

"No longer amazing!" I yelled as I lowered my head. "Toothless!"

'Hold on!' he yelled.

I heard him shriek over the sound of his wings flapping hard. I looked up to see the tower getting closer.

"Oh, no!"

_Blam! _One of Toothless' plasma blasts shot out from under me and hit the rock tower. I screamed and ducked my face just as I felt Toothless' paws grab me and his wings encase me. I held onto him for dear life as we soared through the air. Then, without warning, we crashed into what felt like rock, tumbling and crashing through what sounded like trees. We rolled a couple of times before finally coming to a halt.

"Oh…" I sighed deeply.

'Are you… okay?' Toothless panted.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Toothless opened his wings and his paws let go of me. I reached down and pressed the trigger of my mechanical leg, and the part that I flew with turned upward and was replaced with the metal piece that I walked with. Still panting slightly, I slowly got to my feet, dusting myself off.

"Whoo! That really came outta nowhere," I said exasperatingly.

The sound of crumbling rock met out ears. I turned around and saw that the tower that Toothless had blasted through was now toppling down, gigantic bolder plummeting into the sea. I flinched as I heard the snapping crack of breaking rock before turning around.

'Do you think anyone will notice?' Toothless asked nervously.

"Nah, we're fine."

Toothless grunted, and I rolled my eyes. I reached down and tucked the 'wings' of my suit back into their pockets on my legs, pulling the loops back up and tightening them.

"We-we gotta work on your solo gliding there, bud," I said as I retracted the spikes on my back. "That locked up tail makes for some pretty sloppy rescue maneuvers, hey?"

Toothless didn't answer me. I grabbed my helmet and slid it off my head. I reached up and ran my fingers through my bangs as I looked out at the horizon. I was met with a beautiful sight. It was a new forest, one that I hadn't discovered yet. The autumn-colored trees were high enough to touch the lowest clouds, and there were two small mountains that met each other halfway, but didn't quite touch. I smiled as I walked forward, observing the amazing discovery.

"Ah! Looks like we found another one, bud."

Again, no answer. I was still looking out at the woods when suddenly I felt a rock hit the back of my head. It was a tiny one, but it still hurt.

"Ow!"

I snapped my head back to look incredulously at Toothless, who was sitting stiffly, a grumpy look on his face. The second he saw me looking at him he shifted his position and turned around so his wings were facing me.

"Oh, what, do you want an apology?" I said in a playfully stern voice. "Is that why you're pouting, big baby boo?"

Toothless rolled his eyes, grumbling something that sounded oddly like, 'blah, blah, blah'. Well, we can't have that, can we?

"Well, try this on!"

I threw down my helmet and lunged forward, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Oh, yah feelin' it yet?" I mocked, pushing and pulling against him. "Huh? Pickin' up on all of my heartfelt remorse?"

'Nope.'

I frowned and jumped up to wrap my legs around his torso. He grunted when I did this and stood up on his hign legs.

'Looks like you need another lesson, darling,' he said sweetly.

"What?"

He didn't answer me. Instead he started waddling forward, getting closer towards the edge of the rocky level.

"Oh, c'mon, c'mon. Y-y-yah wouldn't hurt a… one legged…"

When Toothless stopped walking I turned my head to look down. Big mistake. I saw that I was hanging over the edge, in danger of falling down into the water.

"Dah!"

I screamed like a child and clung onto Toothless with all of my might. I got angry when I heard Toothless laughing.

'Any last words?' he asked playfully.

"Okay, okay!" I said quickly. "You're right, you're right! You win! You win…"

'Good!'

Toothless suddenly fell backwards, landing on his back. Still holding onto him tightly, I felt myself flop a bit as we landed. He suddenly turned the tables and flipped me over so that I was on the ground and he was hovering over me. Despite what just happened, I laughed loudly as Toothless chortles, pinning me down with his paw.

"She's down!" I called out playfully, pushing his paw off of my chest. "Oh, and it's ugly!"

A loud rumble that sounded like a laugh issued from Toothless. He then lifted his other paw and started roughly smacking me with it. I raised my arms to block some of his playful blows and delivered some of my own.

"Dragons and Vikings! Ah! Enemies again!" I chanted dramatically. "Locked in combat to the bitter-!"

Toothless stopped his smacking and suddenly flopped down on top of me. Some of the wind was knocked out of me and I let out a loud, aggravated moan of discomfort.

'That's enough out of you,' Toothless said simply, not moving his body off of my own.

"Shut up," I grunted, not looking at him.

A second later I felt the tip of his tongue graze against my chin. I looked down at him once before he suddenly started licking my face, coating it in saliva.

"Oh, what?! No, no…!"

I groaned irritably as I pushed his face away from mine. I moved backward and rolled away from Toothless to avoid anymore slobber. I shook my head as I pushed myself to my feet. Toothless was standing just a few feet away, crouched down, as though observing me.

"You know that doesn't wash out!" I snapped, wiping the slobber off of my face.

Toothless straightened up and let out a happy chortle. I rolled my eyes as I wiped the slobber off of my suit. Toothless stopped chortling and gave me an openmouthed smile. I smirked at him before flicking my hands at him, which caused the saliva on my hands to fly off. The slime landed on his face and he flinched.

"Take that," I said playfully.

Toothless shook his head, giving me a not-so-stern glare. I ignored the look on his face and wiped remaining slobber on the back of my pants. I then pried open the leather flap on my chest and grabbed my sketchbook from inside the little pocket underneath the leather. I opened the book to set free the folded up map that was tucked inside. This map was one of my current prized possessions. Ever since we started flying with dragons, we have come across so many new islands and new places that we had never seen or heard of. It finally got to the point where I started drawing a map of all the new places that I have come across over the past five years.

I sat down on my knees as I began to open the map, unfolding the paper and flattening the creases until the whole thing was out in the open. I reached over to my right arm which wore a leather flap that was filled with new papers. I opened it up and took a piece out.

"Toothless."

Toothless came up as I held the slip of paper in the air, holding the top and the bottom. He leaned forward and gave the paper a long lick, coating it in saliva.

"Thanks, bud."

I pressed the paper down at the end of the map and pushed my fist back and forth, pressing it into the map so that it would stick. I reached under the map to the sketchbook cover and pulled my charcoal pencil out of the little loop it was tucked into inside the cover. I lifted it up and saw that the end was a bit dull. I reached over to my left arm and pulled the small dagger out of the sheath that was strapped to my left forearm. I brought the blade to the pencil and gave it a few strokes, sharpening the coal. once I felt it was sharp enough I shoved the dagger back into its sheath.

"Now for coordinates…"

I lifted my right arm high enough so that the little compass that was strapped across my elbow was in the air. I put my pencil in my mouth before I opened the cap and turned the dial, trying to find the coordinates.

"So," I said, closing the compass and taking the pencil out of my mouth. "What should we name it?"

'Huh?'

I turned my head to look at Toothless and saw that he wasn't even looking at me. He appeared to be too busy scratched his armpit. I rolled my eyes, trying to resist the urge to laugh.

"'Itchy Armpit' it is."

'Wait, what?'

I laughed as I leaned down and started to draw the mountains.

"What do yah reckon, bud?" I asked Toothless, who leaned down to sniff at the map. "Think we might find a few Timberjacks in those woods? The odd Whispering Death or two in the rocks? …Who know? Maybe we'll finally track down another Night Fury…"

I stopped drawing to look up at Toothless. He didn't say anything, but looked at me, his large green eyes boring into mine. I turned away from him and looked out to the horizon, sitting back on my knees.

"Wouldn't that be something?"

I sighed. It was something that me and Toothless had been trying to do for years now. Ever since we started traveling and looking for new islands we have been keeping an eyes out for any surviving Night Furies. I just felt like we had to. Every time I saw a Deadly Nadder or a Gronkle with a heard of his or her own I couldn't help but feel bad for Toothless. All the other dragons have their own and he doesn't have anybody. I mean, he'll say he doesn't need to see other Night Furies as long as he's got me, and I believe him. But, still…

I sighed once more, reaching behind me and pushing my very long braid out to hang over left shoulder.

"So, what do yah say?" I asked Toothless. "Just keep going?"

Toothless didn't respond. Instead, all I heard was loud shifting from behind me.

"Tooth-?"

But before I could finish a pair of arms can up and wrapped around my torso from behind. I looked down and saw a pair of muscular arms with dark, smoky black scales covering the forearms. I smiled.

"You could've warned me, yah know," I said lowly.

A deep chuckle sounded from behind me as the figure behind me grew closer towards me. A pair of legs came out from either side of me and sat there like a cage around my own legs. I was pulled back a bit and I felt myself pressed against someone's chest.

"Now, where's the fun in that?"

I turned my head to gaze up at young man behind me. Now, Toothless' true form never changed much over the years. Honestly, all he did was get bigger. But his humanoid form was a different story. It seem that he had grown at least another foot over the past five years. He practically towered over everyone except my dad. His body also got bulkier and much more muscular. His facial features had sharpened, giving him a strong, handsome face. Toothless has always been handsome, but before it was teenage-dream-boy handsome. Now it was strong-young-man handsome. His jet-black hair was still as messy and windswept as ever, but it was thicker a bit longer. It went down to the bottom of his ears, but it didn't hang there like straight hair. It hung in thick waves, just like before, and it sometimes stuck out in places, and that's just how I liked it. The scales that surrounded his face were a little thicker and came down the sides of his face like sideburns. The only thing that didn't change much was his wings, which were much bigger in comparison.

I grinned up at Toothless before tilting my head to kiss his scale-covered chin. He chuckled. I gazed down at his chest and noticed the brown vest over his shirt. That was another cool thing I discovered. Once I made this new saddle for Toothless I discovered that it could shift along with him. Now, whenever he changes into human form the saddle changed into this cool, tight, brown leather vest. His cloths were basically the same as when he was younger. He was still completely dressed in black. His shirt was like a sleeveless cloak that draped around his shoulders and was kept closed by the single black string around his waist. He still had long baggy pants and black leather boots, so nothing changed beyond that.

"Admiring the view?" he asked.

I frowned up at him as he smirked at me. He reached his hand up and stroked the under part of my chin.

"You know, this is the first time we've been along in over a month now."

I raised my brows, a smile creeping up on my face.

"I did notice that," I said playfully. "And your point?"

Toothless smiled. Without another word he leaned his head down and brought his lips to mine. I closed my eyes and moved my lips against his. Each time I kissed him it felt like it had been ages since the last one. He just had that effect on me and I don't know why. Each kiss Toothless ever gave me was always fill with passion, desire and love, and even a moment's pause made my lips feel cold.

Toothless reached his hand back to grab the back of my neck, pulling me closer. I reached up and put my hands on the back of his head, tugging slightly at his hair. He had just started to put his other hand on my waist when I heard a twig snap. I broke the kiss and sat up straight, looking around.

"Who's there?" I called out.

Toothless turned around too, looking for the source of the noise. For a moment there was silence. Then, I heard a faint, familiar giggle.

"Stormfly!" I snapped.

Suddenly the person went into a fit of giggles and on of the bushes shifted around violently. Amongst the giggled a heard a low laugh.

"Austen?" Toothless called out.

A second later a small, blonde-haired head popped out from the bushes. It was Austen. I recognized that headband anywhere.

"Hey, guys," he called out, waving to us.

"Were you two spying on us?" I asked accusingly.

"No, not spying," Austen said as he stood up. "Stormfly wanted to scare you and I said 'sure'."

"But we can give you privacy, if you want," Stormfly laughed, still hiding in the bushes.

I covered my face as I felt the blood rise to my cheeks. I didn't care if people caught me kissing Toothless cheek or if they saw him kissing my hand in public. Small stuff like that didn't bother me. But when we're in the middle of a make-out session, then I get a bit embarrassed.

I felt Toothless put a hand on my shoulder as he laughed.

"Well, come out then," he said. "No point in hiding anymore."

I uncovered my heated face to see Austen step out from behind the bushes. He had also grown over the years, though, not as much as Toothless. He was half a foot taller than me and bulkier than when he was sixteen. His facial features were sharpened as well, and he was arguably good-looking. His blond hair had grown much longer. Five years ago it was cut short above his ears. Now it hung in long, blonde curtains around his face. On the left side of his head there was a small braid that went all the way down his head. Shoved into the braid and hanging from it was a small Deadly Nadder spike. I didn't have to ask to know that it was one of Stormfly's. Unlike Toothless, Austen had completely changed his wardrobe. Wearing a scarlet shirt, furry boots, dark blue pants and a thick fur hood, his cloths had completely changed since he was sixteen.

Austen turned around to face the patch of bushes he was hiding behind and reached his hand out.

"C'mon, babe."

At that moment a humanoid girl jumped to her feet. Stormfly was a beautiful dragon, no denying that. And she had three just as beautiful hatchlings to prove it. But her humanoid form was so stunning that it would make the most fearsome dragon hunters drop their jaws. She wasn't exactly thin, but very curvy. She had wide hips, a curved waist, and broad shoulders that fit her torso perfectly. She had a thin face with a slightly pointed chin, and beautiful sky-blue scales covered the sides of her face and her chin. She had bright, silvery blonde hair that hung in straight curtains over her face and ended almost at her hips. She was dressed in a loose, white shirt with straps that tied around the back of her neck to stay up. She wore a long, bright blue skirt that was tied around her waist and hung off her hips.

Stormfly smiled down at Austen before accepting his hand. He smiled up at her as he led her over the bushes and down towards me and Toothless.

"Afternoon, you two," I said, smiling at them. "Where have you been?"

Austen and Stormfly marched over to us and sat down next to us.

"Oh, you know," Austen ruffled up his hair. "Winning races. What else?"

"Snotlout and Fishface keep fighting over Ruffnut," Stormfly said as she leaned against Austen. "At this rate we're going to keep winning until our dieing day. And that's saying something!"

We all laughed at that. None of us had any idea how the love triangle between Snotlout, Fishface and Ruffnut started. All we knew was that it was hilarious!

"Although, the real question is," Austen leaned in closer to me. "Where have you been?"

"Yeah, you missed the race today," said Stormfly. "I thought you never miss them."

"I don't," I said simply. "But… something came up."

"That 'something' wouldn't happen to be the reason why you practically pushed me out the door this morning, would it?" Toothless asked.

I turned my head to look at him. He was giving me a slightly stern look, one eyebrow slightly raised. I looked over at Austen and Stormfly and saw they had looks of curiosity and concern.

"Alright," I said finally. "Alright. If you really want to know… I'm avoiding my dad."

"What?" Stormfly and Toothless said in unison.

"Oh no, what happened now?" Austen asked worriedly.

"Oh, you're gonna-you're gonna love this," I said, scooting away from Toothless a bit. "I wake up. The sun is shining, Terrible Terrors are singing on the rooftop… I saunter down to breakfast thinking all is right with the world…"

"As usual," muttered Toothless.

"Yeah… So I say, 'Hey dad, good morning'! And then I get…" I sprang to my feet and imitated my father's voice. "'Sweetheart, we need tah talk,'."

"'Not now, dad,'" Austen said, imitating my own voice and he shifted his shoulders around. "'I got a whole day of goofing off to get started.'"

I snorted as he and the humanoids started laughing.

"Wait wait, okay," I said. "First of all, I-I don't sound like that. Who is this character?"

"It is a bit accurate," said Toothless.

I frowned at him as he shrugged. Stormfly giggled.

"Yeah, whatever. And second of all… what is that thing you're doing with my shoulders?"

Austen started moving his shoulders around more, and the other two laughed. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, that's a truly _flattering_ impersonation. Anyway, he goes…" I puffed out my chest and started marching around. "'You're the pride of Berk, Hicca, and I couldn't be prouder…'"

"'Aw! Thanks, dad! I'm pretty impressed with myself, too!'" Austen said enthusiastically, flopping his arms in the air.

At this Toothless and Stormfly both burst into fits of laughter. Despite being made fun of I could help but laughing as well.

"W-when have I ever done that with my hands?" I asked, still laughing as I gestured to Austen.

"You just did!" he exclaimed.

"Ah, okay. Just…" I kneeled down by Austen and held his arms down to keep him still. "Just hold. Still. This is very serious."

Austen nodded, putting on a playfully serious face. I shook my head as I stood up.

"That goes for you two as well!" I added, pointing at Toothless and Stormfly.

Stormfly covered her mouth to stop her giggles, and Toothless held his hands in the air in surrender. I rolled my eyes, puffed my chest back out, and continued.

" 'Yer all grown up. And since no chief can ask for a better successor, I've decided…'"

"To make you chief!" Austen yelled as he leapt to his feet. "Oh my gods! Hicca, that's amazing!"

At the last word Austen reared his arm back and then punched me in the shoulder. It didn't hurt, but he accidentally punched the spring coil button and activated the spikes on my back.

"Oh! Austen!" I snapped, reached up to rewind the coil. "Don't do that! You're gonna wear out the spring coil! The calibration is very sensitive."

"Oh, who gives a damn?" Austen said, beaming at me. "Hicca, can you believe it? You're gonna be chief! This is- Oh my gods…" Austen gasped. "I forgot… Hicca, your gonna be the first woman to be chief of Berk!"

That was actually true. I was destined to be the first woman to take the throne of Berk from my father. I wasn't suppose to be though. See, about 300 hundred years ago, during the second generation, the chief's oldest child, his daughter Anabrick, was suppose to take his throne when she came of age. She would've been the first woman to be chief of Berk. But, something terrible happened. Not long before she was to become chief, she became fatally ill with a deadly, unknown sickness. The healers were unable to help her, and she died two days before her coronation. The throne was then passed down her little brother Alicus when he became of age. After that, no other chief had any older daughters to take the throne. They either only had one son as their child, or they had many children and the oldest was a boy, and therefore, he gained the throne.

"Yeah, I know," I said simply. "Crazy, huh?"

I felt something grab my wrist and suddenly I was pulled down to the ground. But, instead of landing on the ground, I landed right into Toothless' lap. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close.

"Hicca, that's wonderful!" he said. "I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"Yeah? Well, I can…"

I sat up slightly, leaning into Toothless' chest a bit. I looked over at Austen, who was sitting on the ground, Stormfly's hand on his shoulder as she stared at me in amazement.

"Yeah, so… This is what I'm dealing with," I said simply.

"What did you tell him?" Austen asked excitedly.

"I-I didn't," I admitted. "By the time he turned around, I was gone."

Austen nodded. He then leaned over and started folding the map back up into the book cover.

"Huh… Well, it's a lot of responsibility. The map will have to wait for sure, and- and I'll need to fly Toothless since you'll be too busy, but…"

Austen trailed off into silence. He lifted it head and slowly turned to look at me. I frowned as I leaned on Toothless' shoulder, glancing at the ground.

"Hicca?" Toothless asked.

"…It's not me, guys," I said finally, glancing up at all of them. "All those speeches and planning and running the village, that's _his _thing…"

"I think you're missing the point," Austen said gently, handing me the sketchbook. "I mean…"chief"! What an honor! I'd be pretty excited."

I shook my head as I tucked the sketchbook back into the pouch of my leather. I clipped the buttons holding the flap down and looked at him.

I sighed. "I… I'm not like you. You know exactly who you are, you always have. But… I'm still looking."

I pushed myself out of Toothless' lap and sat down in the grass, facing the horizon. From in front of me I saw my helmet laying on the ground. I reached for it and placed it my lap.

"I know that I'm not my father," I continued. "And I never met my mother, so… what does that make me?"

I heard movement from behind me, and I felt Toothless' hands come up to grab my arms. He rubbed and squeezed them gently, trying to comfort me. It did work a little, and I smiled slightly at him. I glanced up when both Stormfly and Austen can up. She sat there looking at me while Austen kneeled next to me. He lifted his hand up and placed it on my shoulder.

"What your searching for isn't out there, Hicca," he said, and he lifted his other hand and placed it directly over my heart. "It's in here. …Maybe you just haven't found it yet."

I grinned up at him. He then leaned over and placed one of his usual friendly kisses on my temple. This proved to be a bad idea since there was still some left over saliva there from when Toothless had licked all over me. Austen groaned in disgust as he quickly wiped his lips off.

"That's why you shouldn't kiss other girls, hon," Stormfly said playfully, leaning her head on his shoulder.

I smiled, shaking my head as I looked forward. My smile instantly faded at what I saw. There, just beyond the two mountains, was a thick, dark tunnel of what was obviously smoke.

"You may be right," I said as I slowly propped myself up on one knee. "But, you know…there _is_ something out there."

Austen sighed. "Hicca…"

I reached over, grabbed his chin and turned his head. I heard him inhale sharply and I let go of his chin.

"What is that?" Stormfly asked.

I didn't answer immediately. I grabbed my helmet and got up to my feet.

"Only one way to find out."

* * *

**And there you have it! The first chapter to the sequel!**

**Now, a few major sidenotes. Due to simple boredom and no inspiration, I will be putting my Transformers fanfic "The Tale of Emma Witwicky" on hold. Don't worry, it's only temporary! It won't last long! I'm still gonna work on "Prince and the Half-Blood", "Angel of Music"(I'm hoping to post something for that one next), "How to Watch 'Hicca and Her Dragon'", and especially "The Interesting Life of Lavinia". That last one is my fav at the moment.**

**So, with that said, keep an eye out for those ones, be patient for the Transformers fic, and I will let you know when I'm working on the next chapter for this story. PEACE!**


	2. A Dragon Army

Ch. 2  
A Dragon Army

I held onto the saddle tightly as Toothless glided just over the trees. I kept my head up, my eyes forward as I gazed at the smoke. Once we had passed through the two mountains we were met with the rest of the forest. Or, at least, what was left of it. It looked as though more than half of the trees had been burned in a fire. There was nothing left but the black, charred trunks protruding up from the ground, smoke still covering the forest floor.

"Think this might've been a dragon?" I asked Toothless.

'It was either that or a camp fire gone terribly wrong.'

I knew that that meant 'yes'. We continued to fly forward, and I heard Stormfly make a small screech from behind us. We flew and swerved through the trees, looking for the end. Toothless swerved to avoid rocks as he passed through them when suddenly stopped, and I did not need to ask why. There, just in the water of the ocean, was a large, towering iceberg. That was the best way I could describe it, but it looked nothing like the icebergs I had seen in the past. It was bright, icy blue, and it was protruding up from the water in great, giant spikes. What was more, I could see brown, jagged shapes that looked like pieces of a ship embedded in the ice. I felt my jaw drop as I stared up at the ice, wondering what on earth could have done something like this. I turned my head around to look at Austen, but he shook his head, telling me that he had no idea either.

"Stay close," I told him.

"You don't have to tell me twice."

I turned my head forward as Toothless started flying again. We flew around the iceberg, examining it. It looked much more dangerous from up close.

"What happened here?" I asked aloud.

We circled around it and I looked down to see the bigger parts of the ship, destroyed and buried deep within the ice. I tilted my head lower and stared. Down there was a giant mud heap, and in the head were two large footprints. The appearance and the depth of them screamed 'dragon'. Toothless let out a nervous noise and shook his head restlessly.

"Easy, bud," I soothed, patting his head.

'I don't like this,' he told me. 'Something's not right.'

From behind me, I heard Austen gasp. "Hicca!"

I glanced back at him to see him pointing forward, I whipped my head around.

"FIRE!"

I had a split seconds panic before Toothless quickly moved out of the way to avoid the oncoming net.

"Austen, look out!"

But even as I shouted I heard Stormfly give a loud screech that could mean only one thing; she had gotten hit. Austen gave a loud yell as he and Stormfly started to go down. Suddenly, Austen broke free of the net and went through it, but he was still falling.

"Ah! Hicca!"

Toothless reacted instantly. He dove forward just in time to grab Austen by his feet. There was a loud thud of something falling against rock, and I knew that Stormfly had fallen.

"Toothless, go back!" I said quickly.

Toothless wasted no time in turning around and quickly flying back to the iceberg. We got closer, and even from up here I could see several men running at Stormfly, all holding weapons and rope.

"_Stop!" _I screamed at them.

"Stormfly!"

'Austen!'

Toothless dropped Austen before quickly landing on the ground, and I leapt off of him.

"What're you doing?" Austen demanded furiously, picking up a large stick from the ground and wielding it like a club.

The men started marching forward, wielding their own weapons. I reached across my waist and pulled out Inferno. I clicked the button on the side and the blade shot out, instantly catching on fire. I waved it around in front of me, forcing the men back. They stared at Inferno, eyes wide and making loud 'ohs' at the sight of my fire sword. Then, a man who had his foot propped on top of Stormfly's head straightened up. He was a big man, with dark hair that was pulled into a low ponytail, thick eyebrows, and what looked like a blue tattoo on his large chin.

"Back again?" he said in a thick, foreign accent.

I did not respond to him and neither did Austen, unless you count waving a piece of wood in a threatening way a response. The man lowered his eyes to something behind me, and I knew that it was Toothless. The moment he saw the dragon the man's eyes widened, and a second later he grinned in an almost victorious way.

"Soil my britches…" he breathed. "That _is_ a Night Fury!"

Toothless took a step forward and hissed threateningly.

"Thought they were all gone for good," the man said as he patted another man's back, and he called out, "Looks like our luck's had a turn for the betta, lad! Don't think Drago has one o' _those_ in his dragon army."

I blinked as I stared at him. Did I hear him right?

"Dragon army?" Austen whispered to me.

I glanced over at him, then I turned back to the man, who was now standing on top of Stormfly.

"Look, we don't want any trouble," I told him seriously.

The man laughed. "Ha! You should've thought of that before you _stole _all of our dragons, and _blasted our fort to bits_!"

He said this last part as he pointed to the remains of his ship that was in the ice. I shook my head, not understanding.

"What're you talking about?" Austen asked angrily.

I stepped forward. "You think _we _did this?"

The man didn't answer me.

"Dragon trapping is hard enough work as it is without do-gooder dragon riders sneaking in to rescue them!"

"What?" I laughed, staring at him. "What're talking about? What do-gooder…"

I stopped talking and froze. The realization of what he had just said suddenly dawned on me. I pressed the button of the handle and Inferno retracted back inside.

"There are _other_ dragon riders?" I asked, my voice faint.

"You mean other than your thieving friend from last night? You tell me!" the man snapped, and he slowly stepped off of Stormfly. "You may have and ice-spitting dragon on your side, but we still have a quota to fill. How do you suppose we explain this mess to Drago Bludvist?"

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Drago…What-fist?" I snorted. "Does anything you say make sense?"

"He's expecting a new shipment of dragons for his army by tomorrow," said one of men.

"And Drago don't take well to excuses!" said another.

The rest of the men nodded, muttering in agreement. The dark-haired man stepped forward and opened up his fur vest to reveal his chest, which had a nasty scare in the shape of a symbol that was burned into his skin.

"_This _is what he gave me last time I showed up empty-handed," he said darkly, folding his vest back up. "He promised to be far less understanding in the future."

I cringed slightly at the sight of the scar, but I shook my head slightly. I had to get the others out of here now.

"Alright, look," I started. "We don't know anything about a dragon thief, or and "ice-spitting" dragon, or your lunatic boss and his dragon army. Just give us back _our _dragon, and we'll go. Strange… hostile person whom we've never met…"

"Oh, where are my manners?" the man bowed lowly. "I'm Eret, son of Eret," he straightened up and pulled a large dagger out from his belt. "Finest dragon trapper alive."

_Hicca, we need to leave now, _I heard Toothless say to me.

"After all," Eret pointed his dagger down. "It's not just anyone who can capture a Night Fury."

Toothless stepped forward and snarled loudly at Eret, who didn't move a muscle. I smirked as I gestured to Toothless.

"And this is Toothless," I said, and my smirk turned into a frown. "He says we're going. Now."

Eret laughed. "They all say that. Rush 'em, lads!"

The men yelled as they started to run at us. Toothless roared as he lifted his head and fired a plasma blast at the iceberg. A sharp section broke away and fell, heading right for Eret and this men. They all screamed as they jumped to the side, avoiding the piece of ice. While they were distracted me and Austen ran forward towards Stormfly. I unsheathed Inferno and used it to cut the net off of her.

"Stormfly, come on!" shouted Austen. "Go, go!"

Once she was free, Stormfly leapt to her feet and started running forward, Austen hot on her heels. He managed to grab onto her and jump onto his saddle before she jumped into the air, taking flight instantly. I sheathed Inferno before jumping onto Toothless' back, locking my metal foot into the petal, and we took off.

"You will never hold onto those dragons, you hear me?" Eret shouted. "Drago is coming for them all!"

I turned my head to look back at Eret. I could still see his angered face from all the way up here.

'Don't listen to him, love,' said Toothless. 'Nobody's taking the dragons, not ever.'

I frowned as I turned my head back. I wanted to listen to Toothless, but I had a feeling that Eret's threat was not empty.

* * *

It was only midday, so I knew that the village would be pretty full by the time we got back. Toothless let out a loud call as we descended onto the village square. People looked up at us and started waving and clapping, something that I had grown accustomed to over the years. Toothless and Stormfly landed in the square and people around us stared. I took my helmet off as I looked around, searching for my father. Then, I heard a booming laugh, and I turned into the direction of the forge, and I saw my dad walking out, his arms held out.

"Ah-haha! There she is!" he called out. "The Pride of Berk!"

The Pride of Berk. Again, another thing that I had grown accustomed to. I stepped off of Toothless and placed my helmet on a hook on my saddle as my dad stepped forward. He looked down at Toothless and let out another laugh as he raised his hand.

"Ah! And my future son-in-law!"

Toothless chuckled as he allowed my father to pat his head. Despite the situation I could not help but blush with embarrassment. _Not this again._

"Dad, we've been over this," I hissed as I followed him back to the forge. "We have to be engaged first, remember?"

But my dad just rolled his eyes. "Ah, no point in denying the future, sweetheart."

I rolled my eyes. I felt something brush against my arm, and I glanced up to see Toothless in his human form. He was looking down at me with understanding eyes.

"Don't worry, your not alone," he whispered. "Dragon parents can be just like that and more."

I nodded, grinning up at him. I grasped his hand as we both entered the forge. At the entrance was none other than Gobber, who was wearing his metal mask he wore to keep sparks from hitting his face.

"Looks like somebody finally decided to show up for work. Yay…" he said playfully, swinging his hammer at me.

"Sorry, got held up," I released Toothless' hand as I quickly caught up with my father. "Hey, uh, Dad? Could I have a word?"

"Something you're itching to tell me?" he asked, putting an arm around my shoulders as he lead me deeper into the forge.

"Ah, not quite the _itch_ your thinking of," I admitted. "But, yes."

My dad released me and reached up, taking my work apron off the wall and tossing it to me.

"Oh, good girl!" he said. "Now, lesson one: A chief's first duty is to his people."

"You've already told me this," I said as I tossed my apron to the side. "Dad, please listen…"

But he was not listening. He went over to the table and took a number off the wall.

"Come on, darling! They're waiting!" he said as he turned his head. "So… 41!"

I shook my head. "Dad, can we please just talk in private?"

"Forty…"

"That's me!" a man shouted as he pushed past a few people. "That's me, I'm next! Hey, I was ahead of you!"

I rolled my eyes. "Look, if we could just talk…"

"Excuse me, I've been here all day," the villager stepped up and beamed. "Okay, okay… I want one of those high seaters with lots of spikes and a big stowage compartment."

"Absolutely!" my dad said, slapping the counter. "You got it, sir."

"Oh gods…" I groaned. "Dad, this is actually a little more important than building saddles, so-"

My dad shook his head. "Ah-ah! Lesson two: No task is too small when it comes to serving your people."

My dad let out a laugh as he walked through the forge, but accidentally bumped into Gobber's dragon, Grump.

"Oh, excuse us, Grump," my dad said, rubbing the dragon's nose.

"Hey, buddy," I said as I patted his head.

He gave a small grunt in response as I rushed passed him.

"Dad, can we just talk, please?" I asked.

"Grump!" Gobber yelled. "Yah let the forge die down again!"

The dragon groaned as he shuffled around to face the fireplace, not even bothering to get up. He opened his large jaws and let out a large blast of fire that burst, sparks flying out. I yelped as a few came at me and I leapt forward to avoid them. Gobber shook his head before pulling a rope that hung above, and the bucket tilted and water spilled onto the fire.

"That's it, Grump! You're going up for adoption!"

Ignoring the irritated Gobber I turned and caught up with my dad, who was still busying himself the saddle preparations. He took down all my tools that hung on the wall and placed them into a small box, then handed the box to me.

"There you go," he said. "Go on. Have away."

"Dad, seriously," I said firmly as I followed him through the forge. "I really need to tell you about this new land we came across."

"Another one?" Gobber asked as he twisted his hammer out of his arm.

"Any new dragons?" a new voice called out that I knew instantly was Fishlegs.

"More then likely," I heard Toothless say from somewhere behind me. "I could sense some nearby, but…"

"We didn't stick around to find out," I finished for him. "These folks weren't particularly friendly."

"Oh, really?" Gobber said sarcastically. "Your Night Fury and Deadly Nadder didn't bring them cheering to the rooftops?"

"Does having a net trap shot at you count?" I heard Stormfly say bitterly as she and Austen entered the forge.

I rolled my eyes. My dad place a sheet of leather onto the large shaper. I set the box down as I reached in and pulled out a spare charcoal pencil.

"No, actually. It was a whole different," I said as I drew the outlining on the leather. "Not the standard run-for-the-hills hoo-ha I've come to enjoy. These guys… they were trappers. _Dragon _trappers."

"You should've seen their fort," said Austen. "All blown apart and stuck in giant spikes of ice. It was weird!"

"That's an understatement," said Toothless, who stood beside my dad and folded his arms. "It was downright unearthly."

"I've never seen anything like it," I said seriously. "And what's worse, they thought _we _did it!"

"They said that it was done by an… ice-spitting dragon or something," said Stormfly.

"Yah know," said Gobber as he placed a small brush into his arm and started combing his beard and eyebrows. "You four are gonna get yourselves in serious trouble one of these days. Not everyone appreciates this way of life."

"Aye, Gobber's right, dear," said my dad as he pulled the leather off the shaper. "Best we keep to our own."

"But what if that's not good enough?" Toothless asked.

"It is when it has to be, lad," Gobber explained as my dad placed the leather on a small table by the cutting blades.

"Besides, you'll have more important uses for your time," my dad pulled the lever down to activate the cutting blades, chuckling as he beamed at me. "Once we make the big announcement!"

My brows furrowed as I frowned. _Alright, that's it. _I walked forward towards my dad, who continued to beam down at me. I reached up and pulled the lever, shutting off the blades.

"They are building a dragon army," I explained lowly.

Finally, there was a pause. My dad's face fell as he looked down at me, clearly confused.

"Or at least the guy they work for is," I shook my head, trying to remember the man's name. "Um… Dargo…Bloody Fist… something like that, I don't know."

My dad's face fell even more, his eyes widening in surprise. He turned his head to look at Gobber, who now had a look of anger on his face.

"I'll bloody his fist with my face if he tries to take my dragon!" Tuffnut declared when he suddenly burst into the room.

"Or mine!" agreed Ruffnut.

"Ugh, you're such a moron!"

"A beautiful moron," Fishlegs sighed.

"Yeah," said Snotlout, grinning.

Ruffnut glared at them and let out a groan of disgust. Suddenly, my dad grabbed my shoulders and forced me to look up at him.

"Bludvist?" he breathed, his voice low and fearful. "Drago Bludvist?"

"…Yeah, that's him," I said. "I don't know who he is but… Wait… You know him?"

My dad did not answer me, but the scared and angry look in his eyes was more than enough answer for me.

* * *

"Ground all dragons!"

"What? Why?" I yelled.

I continued running as fast as I could to keep up with my dad, who was charging through the dragon stables.

"Seal the gates!" he shouted to the people and dragons that were inside. "Lower the storm doors!"

"Wow wow, wait, hold up!" I shouted. "What is happening? Dad, talk to me!"

"Come on! You heard the man!" I heard Gobber shout. "Lock it down!"

At once all the people started to do as they were told, and the dragons all scrambled into the stables. I continued running to catch up with my dad as he ran into the center, Toothless, Austen, and Stormfly all hot on my heels.

"No dragon or Viking sets foot off this island until I give the word!" my dad shouted.

"Wait, because some guys you knew is stirring up trouble in some faraway land?" I asked, completely confused.

My dad whipped around and I had to double back to keep from running into him.

"Because Drago Bludvist is a _madman_ without conscience or mercy!" my dad said fiercely, holding my shoulder tightly. "And if he's built a dragon army… Gods help us all."

I stared up at my dad as he let go of me and turned away. I have never seen my father look so worried or so scared in all my life.

"Get them into their pens!" he shouted to his men. "Quickly!"

I quickly rushed forward and skidded to a halt in front of him.

"Then, let's ride back out there," I told him. "We'll follow those trappers to Drago and talk some sense into him."

"No," my dad said firmly. "We fortify the island."

"But… Dad, it's our duty to keep the peace!"

"Peace is over, Hicca! I never thought I'd have to tell yah this, but… prepare yourself, dear. I must prepare you for war."

"War?" I gasped. "Dad, if Drago is coming for our dragons, we can't just sit and wait for him to get here. Let's go find him and change his mind. I mean, can't I at least try…"

But my dad shook his head sadly. "No, some minds won't be changed, Hicca," he told me. "Berk is what yah need to worry about. A chief protects his own."

My dad turned away from me and stomped off, giving more orders to shut everything down. I shook my head, not understanding anything that was going on. I heard a small chortle from behind me, and I turned to see Toothless standing there in his dragon form. He was giving me a look that told me he knew what had to be done, but he was by me no matter what. I knew what I had to do, too.

"Hicca, I know that look," I heard Austen say. "Please, don't…"

"I have to."

I gave Austen a peck on the cheek before running forward and jumping onto Toothless. I quickly put my feet through the petals and Toothless leapt into the air.

"Hicca!" I heard my dad shout.

Me and Toothless shot through the area, looking for a way out. The last remaining door was already being pulled up and was closing fast.

"Come on, bud!" I shouted.

Toothless flapped his wings and quickly sped up, getting faster and faster. The door kept closing, were only feet away from it, and suddenly we were out.

'That was easy,' Toothless said brightly.

"Yeah," I said. "No comes the hard part; finding those trappers."

There was a screech from behind us and I looked around. Stormfly was behind us and catching up, and on her back was Austen.

'Glad to see you could join us,' Toothless said, chuckling slightly as they caught up with us.

'Wouldn't miss it for the world,' said Stormfly.

I looked up at Austen, who gave me a firm nod. I knew that that meant he was with me wherever we went. I turned my gaze forward as we continued to fly towards the horizon.


	3. The Dragon Thief

Ch. 3  
The Dragon Thief

'There they are,' Toothless said quietly.

My eyes narrowed as I looked down below into sea, directly at the ship sailing through it. There was no doubt that it was Eret's ship.

"We better get down there then," I said.

Toothless nodded shortly before picking up speed, Stormfly and Austen trailing just behind us. I knew it would not be long before Eret and his crew spotted us. Sure enough, I heard Eret shouting. He was too far away for me to understand, but I knew that he had seen us. My suspicions were confirmed when suddenly a net shot out, heading strait for me and Toothless. Said dragon swerved out of the way as I tightly held onto the saddle. Three more nets shot out at us, and Toothless avoided all of them with easy. We were very close to the ship by now.

"Reload!"

"Incoming!"

Toothless swiftly turned a bit and landed right on the deck of the ship, Stormfly landing right beside us. I took my helmet off my face and looked around. The crew had already started drawing their weapons, looking ready to fight us. But I just smiled. I was not worried about any of them. I had a plan and it was going to work. At least, I hoped it did. Suddenly Eret marched out from behind his crew, holding a sword in his hand.

"And here I was, worried we might turn up empty-handed," he said, pointing the weapon at me.

From the corner of my eye I saw Austen move, axe held ready in his grasp. But I held a hand up to tell him to stay down, and he froze.

"Nope. It's your lucky day," I grinned at Eret as I lifted my hands into the air. "We give up."

'What?' I heard Stormfly hiss.

Eret's smirk fell. He gave me a look of confusion as he raised an eyebrow, lowering his sword slightly. Still grinning, I placed my helmet onto the saddle and gracefully slid off of Toothless. There was a thud as Austen did the same.

"That's one Night Fury, one Deadly Nadder, and," I grabbed a net from the deck floor and threw it over Austen. "Two of the finest dragon riders west of Luck Tuk."

"Hey!" Austen protested when I took his axe and thrust it into Eret's arms.

"There yah go!" I said. "This oughta make the boss happy, right?"

_Hicca, what're you doing? _I heard Toothless ask in my head, but I ignored him.

"Excuse us, thanks," I said as me and Austen walked through the crew members.

"What're you doing?"

But I ignored Austen and pushed him down into the large built-in cage below deck. I stepped in after him and turned as I reached up to grab the metal door. There was a soft growl and I looked down to see Toothless standing in front of me.

'Hicca…?'

"Toothless, stay," I said.

Toothless took a few more steps as I closed the door, making soft chortles of confusion.

_I've got a plan, _I thought to him. _Trust me._

"Oh, by the way," I called out to the trappers. "Dragons aren't big fans for cramped spaces, so they're just gonna hang out with you lot up there. But, don't worry, they won't be any trouble."

No sooner had I spoken before I heard Toothless yelp, and then start to growl. I cringed my neck to look through the metal bars and saw that the whole crew was now pointing all of their weapons at him. I reached up and slide the small metal latch open.

"Unless of course, you do that," I said, poking my head out through the smaller latch. "And I wouldn't recommend doing that either. Yah know, wooden boat, big ocean… How good is your swimming again?"

"Not good," one of the trappers admitted sadly.

I smiled as I lowered my head back down and closed the little door. I waited a second before I pulled out Inferno, pressing the button and lifting it up so that the blade shot out of the little gap in the door. I heard several of the men gasp. I retracted Inferno and slid the latch back open again.

"Oops!" I giggled, lifting the sword up for a nearby trapper to take. "Almost forgot. You can't have armed prisoners, can yah?"

"Hicca, what the hell's going on?" Austen hissed as the trapper took my sword. "How is this a plan?"

I waved an airy hand, telling him to calm down.

"Just what every dragon trapper needs," I called out to the trappers that were examining my sword. "One end coats the blade in Monstrous Nightmare saliva…"

One of the men pressed a button and green gas shot out and hit his face.

"…and the other sprays Hideous Zippleback gas," I continued, lowering down into the cage. "All it takes is a spark, and…"

I heard a small click, and ducked my head down before I heard the explosion. I waited a second before lifting my head up, smiling at them.

"Oh yeah, there you go!" I said.

The trappers started coughing, rubbing blacks smudge from their faces. Thick black smoke covered the entire deck of the ship, tiny cinders floating in the air. Suddenly, Toothless shot up onto his hind legs and started pawing at a large, glowing cinder that was floating in front of his face.

"See?" I said, trying not to laugh as I watched my boyfriend act like a total cat. "Once they see you as one of their own, even the testiest dragons can be trained. Right, bud?"

'Huh? Oh, yeah!' Toothless said distractedly, lowering down onto all fours again.

I giggled again. Then Eret ran at his men, snatching Inferno from his grasp.

"Give me that!"

He glared at his men before rearing his arm back and throwing the sword out towards the water.

'I got it!' Stormfly said before taking off.

"Thanks!" I called out.

"Enough!" Eret snapped, stomping up to me. "What game are you playing?"

Before I could answer Stormfly landed back on the ship, Inferno clutched in her large mouth. She dropped it on the floor by Eret's feet. Eret glared at her before picking the weapon back up and throwing it in the opposite direction. Stormfly squawked before taking off again.

"Who's playing games?" I asked, smirking. "Not me. We just wanna meet Drago."

Eret's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Because I'm going to change his mind about dragons."

At this, Eret and his crew started to laugh. The laughter soon died once Stormfly returned and dropped Inferno on the ground again. Eret stared at the sword, then gazed up at Stormfly.

'Go ahead, throw it again,' she said, and she sounded almost playful. 'I dare you.'

I rolled my eyes and cleared my throat to get Eret's attention again.

"Anyway, yeah. That's why were here, and that's what we're gonna do."

"She can be really persuasive," Austen said, appearing next to me.

Toothless took a few steps toward me, nudging me with his nose. I smiled at him and put my hands on his head, petting him gently as I turned to look back up at Eret.

"Once you've earned his loyalty, there is _nothing _a dragon won't do for you."

'I can vouch for that,' Toothless said.

Eret snorted. "You won't be changin' any minds around here."

"I can change yours," I told him. "Right here, right now."

I reached up towards the petal on Toothless and pulled the lever, which caused the tail to shoot out. I looked back up at Eret, and was pleased to see that he had a hesitant, but curious look in his eyes, despite the glare on his face. I grinned as I quickly stood up and stepped out of the cage.

"Um, may I?"

But before I could say much else I was suddenly snatch by the arms by something big and was lifted into the air.

"WHOA!"

"Dragon riders!" I heard Eret shout.

_Dragon riders? _I quickly got over the shock of being snatched and looked up to see who it was.

"Hookfang?!"

'Surprise see me, squirt?' he said, chuckling.

"What? No, put me down!"

'Sorry, no can do. Your cousin's got orders.'

I groaned. "Snotlout, what are you doing?"

"See how well I protect and provide?" I heard him ask.

I heard a small groan, and I knew it was Ruffnut. How many of the others were here? Why were they here? Having had just about enough I struggled roughly with Hookfang's grip, trying to get out. Finally, I flipped myself up and kicked off, slipping through his grasp. I reached down to my ankles and pulled out the wings for my wind suit. I shot up slightly before I started to descend lower, heading back towards the ship. One of the nets shot out and nearly hit me, but I swerved out of the way. I descended lower and lower until I ran into the ship's sail. I grabbed the rope from the beam and grabbed the side of the sail, sliding smoothly down and landing back on the deck of the ship.

"Uhh, what're you guys doing here?" I called out as I slid my wings off.

"We're here to rescue _you_!" I heard Gobber say as he and Grump landed on the deck.

"Ahh, no thanks! I don't need to be rescued!"

"Enough!"

There was a loud thud as another dragon landed on the ship. I turned my head to see my dad slipping off of his dragon, Skullcrusher. He jumped down from the upper level and started to walk towards us.

"Well, didn't you just pick the wrong ship, eh?" Eret said as he marched up to my dad. "I am Eret, son of-"

But he was cut off as my dad put his large had to Eret's face and shoved him down next to Grump. Eret made to get up, but Gobber lifted the metal hammer in his left arm and hit the top of his head. Eret fell to the ground on his stomach and before he could move Grump shifted over and laid his body on top of him.

"Get this thing… off me…!" Eret gasped, panting for air.

"Anyone else?" Gobber called out to the other trappers, and when no one spoke he said, "That's what I figured."

I sighed, shaking my head. This was not going as I had hoped. I looked back up and was saw my dad marching straight for me.

"You, saddle up," he ordered. "We're going home."

I took a deep breath. "No."

There was a short pause. The other riders looked at me, surprised.

'Hicca,' Toothless said warningly.

"I'm not going home," I said defiantly. "Not until I've talked to Drago."

My dad clenched his fists, a look of anger etched on his face. He looked like he was trying and failing to not explode.

"Of all the irresponsible…!"

"Excuse me?" I snapped. "I'm trying to protect our dragons and stop a war! How is that irresponsible?"

"Because war is what he wants, Hicca!"

My brows furrowed as I looked at my father with confusion.

"What do you mean?"

My dad took a deep breath and sighed deeply, not saying anything for a moment.

"Years ago," he began. "There was a great gathering of chieftains to discuss the dragon scourge we all faced. In our midst came a stranger from a strange land, covered in scares and draped in a cloak of dragon skin. He carried no weapon, and spoke softly, saying that he, Drago Bludvist, was a man of the people, devoted to freeing mankind from the tyranny of dragons."

From beside me I saw Toothless shift uncomfortably, and I knew why. To this day there were some dragons on Berk who still felt guilty for the years of war between them and Vikings. Seeing as how Toothless caused most of the damage over the years, he still felt very guilty.

"He claimed that he alone could control the dragons," my dad continued. "And that he alone could keep us safe, if we chose to bow down and follow him."

At this, the twins, Fishlegs and Snotlout started to laugh. Even Austen let out a small snort.

"Stupid," Ruffnut muttered.

"Oh, good one!" Tuffnut said, wiping a tear from his eye.

I could not blame them, even I was tempted to laugh at this. I looked up at my father, and the look on his face made my desire to laugh vanish.

"Aye, we laughed, too," he said. "Until he wrapped himself in his cloak and cried out, "Then see how well you do without me!" The rooftop suddenly burst into flames, and from it, armored dragons descended, burning the hall to the ground."

He opened his mouth to continued, but froze. What came next seemed to freeze him in his place.

"Dad?"

He didn't look at me, but bowed his head, eyes closed.

"I… was the only one to escape…"

Nobody spoke, nobody moved. The smiles the others had were gone, replaced with sad expressions. I looked up at my father's face, waiting for him to say something else. He took a deep breath and let it out shortly. He lifted his head, and a serious expression had appeared on his face.

"Hicca, I understand what you're trying to do," he said. "But it's impossible. Men who kill without reason cannot be reasoned with."

I nodded. "Maybe…"

"Hicca-"

"I'm still going to try."

I turned away from him and walked over to Toothless. He lowered himself slightly as I stepped up and swung my leg over him, sitting on my saddle. I looked up at my dad and saw him giving me an angry look.

"Just trust me dad," I said. "This is what I'm good at. And-and if I can change _your _mind, I can change his too."

My dad did not say anything, but looked at me with sharp eyes. I could tell he was not convinced, but I was not going to give him the chance to drag me back home.

"Come on, bud!"

Toothless quickly jumped off the ship and spread his wings out. I locked my feet into the petals and moved them around so that we could get out of there as soon as possible.

* * *

We have been riding out for almost an hour now. The sun is still high in the sky, but it's late in the afternoon now. When we had left I expected Austen to follow us, but he didn't. I remember asking Toothless if he knew why, and he said that they had stayed because my father had told them to.

'According to his thoughts,' he said. 'And his words, he's…he's had enough mutiny for one day…'

He spoke the last few words with caution in his voice, as though worried I would explode. I didn't, but I was close. As soon as I heard that m-word I could feel the blood rushing to my head as my hands formed fists while gripping the saddle. _Mutiny? _I thought sourly. _Is he serious? I'm doing this to protect Berk and our dragons, and he's got the nerve to call mutiny on me?!_

'Hey!' Toothless suddenly piped up. 'How about we go fly above the clouds? They're always pretty this time of day.'

"Sure."

I knew he was just trying to be positive. I knew he probably heard my thoughts and was trying to make me feel better, but I wasn't sure if it would work this time. Toothless leaned up and started heading straight through the clouds. Within a minute we were above them. He was right; it was pretty during this time of the day. The sun shined down on the clouds and gave them a soft, golden glow. But, not even flying through a sea of clouds was making me feel less angry. The frustration I was feeling towards my dad- a feeling I hadn't had in a long time now- was coursing through my veins and getting to my head. _Mutiny… He called it mutiny…_

I couldn't help it; I couldn't hold it in. I released the saddle, reared my head back and let out a long, angry scream, punching the air with my fists. It echoed around me and pierced through my own ears. I stopped screaming and fell back, laying along Toothless' back. I took several deep breaths, trying to regain the air I had lost from my outburst.

'Hicca,' Toothless said lowly. 'Love, I'm really sorry about what happen. But, please… I don't like it when you're like this…'

"I don't like it too much either," I said breathlessly. "I'm sorry, bud. It's just… my dad's being so impossible right now."

'I know, I know. But, don't worry. After this thing with Drago blows over everything will go back to normal, I promise.'

"Will it?"

'What?'

"It's not just gonna 'blow over', bud," I said. "Talking with him might not work, but we have to try. We have to…"

I stopped talking for a moment. I needed to try to change Drago's mind, and I needed to do it quick. But even if we got to him right now, there was no guarantee that he would listen to us. He might still go after our dragons, including Toothless.

'Hicca…?'

I sighed. "Don't worry, bud. I'm not gonna let _anything _happen to you," I patted his back. "I promise…"

I felt small vibrations as Toothless let out a low purr.

'That makes two of us.'

I let out a small laugh. I lifted my hands up and laid them across my chest as I looked up at the sky. My anger was leaving me now, and I was finally starting to relax. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, feeling the wind blow across my face. Then, I felt Toothless vibrating again, except this time he was growling.

'We've got company.'

I groaned irritably. Of course, my dad had followed me. And I had just calmed down, too.

"Oh, come on, dad!" I snapped as I sat up. "Really?! You're gonna start following me like I'm a…"

But I stopped talking. That wasn't my father I was looking at. In fact, I had never seen this being before. It was definitely a human, but they appeared to be dressed in some kind of warrior garb. They held a long staff in their hand, and they wore a warrior-like mask that was painted in bright and dark colors, same as the cloths. I blinked as I stared at the stranger. I just realized that they appeared to be floating through the clouds on their own, with nothing underneath. Then, they made a small movement with their staff, and they lowered below the clouds until they were out of sight.

'What do we do?' Toothless asked.

I gulped. "Okay… no sudden moves…"

There was a few moments silence. Suddenly, I heard a loud screeching, and something large leaped out of the clouds in front of us. I gasped as Toothless came to a halt, flapping his wings to keep us in the air. I looked up at the thing that had jumped out at us and felt my jaw drop. It was a dragon, one that I had never seen before. It looked to be bigger than a Monstrous Nightmare, and had twice its wingspan. But what really amazed me was the face that the stranger from before was standing on the creature's back with no saddle or anything.

'Hicca, what do we do?' Toothless asked, but I couldn't answer.

The large dragon circled around us, screeching as its rider stared at me. The dragon stopped in front of us, and suddenly its large wings split into four.

"Holy-!" I yelped, gripping the saddle tightly. "Hold on, hold on!"

The large dragon started to growl at Toothless, and he was speaking in Dragonese. Luckily for me, I had learned enough Dragonese by now to understand them.

"_You dare cross our territory?" _the large dragon roared in an angry, male voice.

"_Leave us alone!" _Toothless snapped. _"You have no business bothering us!"_

"_You're the one who's trespassing, Night Fury!"_

The two continued to glare and growl at each other. All the while the new dragon's rider wouldn't take their eyes off of me. Suddenly, I heard a loud screech from the side and I whipped my head aroud. I had just enough time to catch a glimse of a dragon before I was snatched up by the arms and yanked off of Toothless. I yelped as I was pulled away, and looked down. To my horror, I saw Toothless falling through the clouds and heading for the water below.

"TOOTHLESS!" I shrieked.

'Hicca…!'

There was a distant splash that sent chills up my spine. Toothless had fallen in the water. The fact that he couldn't fly without me and the water was deathly cold meant that he wouldn't be able to swim, and he wouldn't be able to fly out of it either.

The dragon carrying me flew up towards the stranger and their dragon. I heard more screeching, and I looked behind me. I was surprised to see that there was a large pack of strange, new dragons that I had never seen before. But I was too busy worrying about Toothless to care.

"Hey!" I shouted up at the stranger. "Hey, listen to me! You left my dragon back there! He can't fly on his own, he'll drown!"

The stranger didn't so much as acknowledge my voice and continued to look forward.

"Please!" I pleaded. "You don't understand! He's my boyfriend, I can't loose him!"

The stranger's head suddenly whipped around to stare at me. Even though they were wearing a mask I could tell that they were surprised. But they didn't say anything, and soon turned their head back around. I opened my mouth to try to scream at them- though it probably wouldn't have done any good- when we suddenly flew under an ice arch. I gasped when I saw what was on the other side. There was a small, rocky island, and in the center of it was what looked like giant spikes of ice shooting up in different directions.

"Oh, gods…"

The stranger and their dragon lead us towards the icy island. Once we reached it we flew through a small, surprisingly rocky entrance. The dragon carrying me went through a small passageway before suddenly dropping me. I yelped as I hit the floor and tumbled a bit before quickly getting to my feet.

Dragons; that was all I could think. I was in a small, dark area, and I was completely surrounded by dragons that I had never seen in my life. As soon as I looked around all of them appeared to be waking up and were closing in on me.

"Hey!" I shouted, looking around for the rider. "We have to head back for my dragon!"

There was a short growl, and I backed away as a large dragon started marching up to me, growling lowly. _Okay Hicca, you're prepared for this. Just stay calm… _I reached over and pulled Inferno from my belt. I clicked the button and the blade shot out, igniting instantly. The dragon stopped walking, and I took the opportunity to slowly wave it around my head, drawing its attention. After a few times I held the sword in front of me and the dragon's pupils widened, following the bright blade with its eyes.

'My friends, would you look at that!' he said airily.

There was a snarl from behind me, and I whipped around to see another dragon marching over to me.

'Who is this human?' he said. 'Why is she here?'

I retracted Inferno's blade as the dragon neared me. I leaned over and took a smoke pellet from the holder on my right boot. I ejected the used one, popped the new one in, then flipped the handle around before pressing the button. I spun around as the gas spewed out, forming a circle around me. I pressed a bottom button, and a spark shot out and ignited the gas, which flamed for a second before disappearing. I put Inferno back on my belt before straightening up. Slowly, I lifted my hand and walked towards the dragon that had spoken.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," I said. "I promise."

I continued to walk closer as the dragon leaned in close sniffing my hand. It let out a low grumble before leaning forward and pressing its snout to my palm. I grinned down at him before lowering my hand. I heard shuffling from me behind me, and I whipped around to see the rider standing opposite me. We looked at each other for a moment, and at the same time began to circle.

"Who are you?" I asked. "The dragon thief?"

The stranger didn't answer.

"Uh… Drago Bludvist?"

Still nothing.

"Do you even understand what I'm saying?"

The stranger waved their staff around before smacking the end on the ground. There was a screech, and I looked up to see another dragon flying in. It only took me a second to realize that it was carrying a waterlogged Toothless. The dragon gently dropped him to the ground before flying off. I stared as Toothless straightened up, shaking his soaked head.

"Toothless!" I ran forward and wrapped my arms around him. "It's okay! It's okay, it's okay!"

'Hicca?' Toothless chortled. 'Oh gods, Hicca! I'm so glad to see you!'

"I'm glad to see you, too, bud," I said, kissing his head. "You really had me worried there."

I leaned back to smile at Toothless. He gently licked the side of my face and chortled softly.

'C'mon, I couldn't let my companion have all the fun, could I?'

At this I heard whispering from all around us. At first I thought that maybe their were other people here, then I realized that it was the dragons speaking.

'Did I hear him right? Did he say 'companion'?'

'No dragon's ever had a human companion! Is it possible?'

'It must be, look at them.'

I ignored these whispered and hugged Toothless tightly, still happy to see him again. Suddenly, there was a flash of like and I sprang to my feet. One of the dragons had opened its mouth and lit its fire inside so it looked like a large, strange lantern of sorts. Then, one by one, all of the other dragons started doing the same thing, until the whole area was completely lit. Toothless stood up on his feet and stepped closer to me, growling lowly. The stranger looked at us for a moment, then slowly started to walk towards us. Toothless' growling increased as he protectively wrapped his tail around me.

'Stay close to me, Hicca.'

The stranger dropped their shield and staff and started crawling closer towards us. Toothless snarled at them as we both took a few steps back. The stranger lifted their hand up, and Toothless reared back, looking like he was ready to bite the hand off. A second later his eyes closed and he fell onto his side, groaning and purring like a newborn kitten. I took a step back and stared as the stranger petted the under side of Toothless' neck. _What the hell just happened? _Suddenly the stranger stood up and started reaching up for me. I raised my eyebrows as I moved back some, trying to avoid being touched. I didn't know what this person was doing but I didn't want any part in it. Then, just as they were about to touch my chin, they gasped. I stared at them, wondering what had happened. The stranger slowly backed away and crouched down, looking up at me.

"…Hicca?"

I blinked. The person had spoken, and their voice was surprisingly soft and gentle. The person raised their hands up to their mask, and slowly took it off. It was a woman. And older, but very beautiful woman. She had a heart-shaped face and brown hair that was graying in several places. She had a look of almost revelation on her face as she stared up at me.

"C-could it be?" she breathed as she stood up. "After all these years? How is this possible?"

My brows furrowed as I stared at the woman, confused.

"Uh, should I… should I know you?" I asked slowly.

The woman's face fell. "No… you were only a babe…"

I stared at her some more. What was going on? She looked up at me, and I saw that she had bright, forest green eyes like mine.

"But a mother never forgets…"

I blinked several times, staring hardly at her. Then, as realization came over me, I gasped. I started panting, feeling as though I were about to have a sezier.

"Y-you're…you're my…"

"Shh…" she hissed gently.

I gaped at her, hardly able to speak. She looked as though she were trying to say something. She glanced over behind her, then at me, a small grin spreading across her face.

"Come," she said, and without another word turned on her heel and ran.


	4. Dragon Haven

Ch. 4  
Dragon Haven

"Hey, hold on! W-wait just a minute!"

"This way!"

I groaned irritably. This woman was insane! First she kidnaps me, then she blurts out that she's my mother, and now she's sending me on a wild goose chase just to keep up with her. Hell, I don't even know where she's taking me. She's just leading me through a tunnel of stone.

"Wait, come back here!"

"Come!"

I glared at her as I jumped over heaps of rock. "You can't just say something like that and run off! You're my _mother_?! I mean, what the- Do you grasp how insane it sounds? It's crazy…!"

"Come, quickly!"

She turned to me, gesturing me to hurry along before easily climbing up a particularly tall heap and jumping over. I ran over and made a leap for the rock, but I just slid back down.

"Ugh, Thor… I have questions!" I grunted loudly, trying to climb over the rock. "Where have you- ugh- been all this time? Wh-what have you been doing?"

'Hold on, love.'

Toothless lowered his head and nudged me upward, pushing me over to the other side. I quickly got up to my feet and ran through the path.

"Please, talk to me!" I shouted. "They all told me you were dead! Everyone thinks you were eaten by… by…"

There came loud screeching that I knew belonged to dragons, but that's not what made me stop. I had reached the light at the end of the tunnel, and as I walked through my eyes fell onto a stunning sight. Dragons- Dragons everywhere. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It looked as though I were in some sort of icy dome that stood above a stony, green covered land. There was a large, stone pillar coated in ice that protruded through the roof of the ice dome and down almost to the ground, more vegetation growing on it. But it was what was going around the pillar that caught my eye. There were hundreds upon hundreds of dragons flying around the pillar; Gronkles, Nadders, Timberjacks, Thunderdrums, some that I had only discovered recently, and some that I had never seen before at all.

I slowly walked forward, Toothless walking next to me. I looked around the area to see several other dragons all around, some laying down, others playing with each other. I did see a small pack of Gronkle hatchlings playing around to my left that made me smile.

'Hicca…'

I looked down at Toothless to see him looking at something to my right. I turned my head and gasped. The Cloudcutter from before was handing by some of the rocks, and the woman who claimed to be my mother was hanging by one of his arms.

"This is where you've been for 20 years?" I asked lowly.

She smiled, and nodded.

"These dragons… you've been rescuing them."

Another nod.

"Unbelievable…"

"You're not upset?"

"What, no! Well, I-I mean… Ugh, I don't know!" I groaned. "It's a bit much to get my head around, to be frank. It's not every day you find out your supposedly dead mother is alive, and she turns out to be some kind of crazy, feral, vigilante dragon lady."

The woman chuckled. The Cloudcutter chortled as he lifted one of his claws, and she hooked her staff onto it as he lowered her down. She unhooked her staff and slid down the dragon's wing, landing gracefully onto the ground.

"Well… at least I'm not boring," she said brightly. "Right?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess there is that one specific thing, but…"

I felt a gentle nudge to my arm and I looked down. It was a large dragon, a kind that I hadn't seen before, whose head was solid black and his belly was orange. He let out a soft growl and nudged my arm, sniffing curiously.

"Oh, hello," I giggled, reaching up to pet his head.

The dragon purred as he leaned into my touch, and I smiled down at him. I glanced over and saw the woman now standing next to me.

"Do… do you like it?" she asked hesitantly.

I turned my head around to stare up at the scenery. "Like it?" I breathed. "I don't have the words…"

'Hicca, I could use some help here!'

I whipped around at the sound of Toothless' voice and nearly burst into laughter. The poor Night Fury was completely surrounded by other dragons, who were crowding around him and staring at him with curiosity. A few of them leaned over to sniff at him and he tried to back away. Then, a dragon behind him sniffed, then suddenly shoved his head underneath Toothless, raising his backside up into the air. Toothless' eyes widened and he gasped. He angrily shoved the dragon off him and hissed lowly at the others, and they all finally backed away. I was beside myself by now, one hand holding my stomach, the other covering my mouth to hold in my laughter.

'Thanks for the help,' Toothless said grumpily. 'Some companion you are.'

"You were doing fine on your own," I said sweetly, now holding my stomach with both hands as the contained laughter made my stomach ache.

From next to me, the woman giggled. "Um, Hicca?" she said, and she guestured towards Toothless. "Could I …?"

I looked curiously from her to Toothless before I realized what she meant.

"Oh… Sure, go ahead."

She beamed at me before dropping her staff and crouching down to crawl towards Toothless. He looked at her with curiosity, but his face softened as soon as she starting gently stroking the spikes along his head. She raised her other hand to pet along the side of his face and up to his earflaps.

"Oh, my…"

I grinned as I folded my arms. "Not bad, huh?"

"Not bad? Hicca, he's beautiful!"

Toothless chortled happily as he rubbed his face against hers. 'Hey, I like her already!'

I giggled. The woman started scratching Toothless' chin, and soon he had flopped onto his side and started circling around her, purring loudly.

"Oh, I've never seen a Night Fury this close!" she said excitedly. "He might very well be the last of his kind," then she gasped. "And look! He _is_ your age!"

She indicated the three small flaps along Toothless' jaw that had grown there over the past few years, touching them gently. My eyes widened and I smiled. I already knew that Toothless was about my age, but the fact that she could tell without having to ask was incredible. I couldn't even do that.

'Several months over 22, to be exact,' Toothless said, tilting his head back to look up at her.

"Ooh! So, your dragon aging process as already started then?"

For a split second, Toothless' face fell as he glanced over to look at me. He knew what I was thinking, he didn't have to ask.

'Yes, it has,' he said, grinning again. 'I couldn't possibly look this good if I were younger, would I?'

I snorted as I rolled my eyes. _Not again… _The woman reared her head back and laughed.

"And he's cheeky! No wonder you get along so well!"

Toothless grinned as he turned over and got back onto his feet. He purred for a moment before opening his mouth and retracting his teeth back into his gums. The woman gasped.

"And retractable teeth!" she stared, holding Toothless' jaws open as she peered inside. "Incredible…"

'Good to know that you know perfection when you see it.'

She dropped her hands and laughed again. "Hicca, how did you manage to find such a charming dragon, eh?"

"I found him in the woods," I scratched my ear. "He was… shot down and wounded…"

She slowly stood up and turned towards me, and her smile had faded, replaced by an angry look. It didn't appear to be aimed at me, though. Then, she walked around Toothless and stood next to a particularly large dragon.

"This Snafflefang lost his leg to one of Drago Bludvist's iron traps…"

I looked down at the dragon, and saw a small, pale stump where a foot should be. I shifted my left peg leg uncomfortably. She walked past me and over to a tall dragon with a long slender neck and large body.

"This Raincutter had her wing sliced by a razor netting…"

She used her staff to lift the wind up, and I saw several tares in the end of it. I felt terrible, because there was no way for that dragon to fly again. She then walked over to a much smaller dragon, whose scales continuously changed color.

"And this poor Hobblegrunt was blinded by a tree snare, and then left to die alone and scared…"

She reached her hand out to the dragon, who turned his head towards her and sniffed. I saw that both of his large eyes were pale and clouded over. He chortled and snuggled his head against the woman, who petted him soothingly. I felt like I was about to cry, but I didn't. I just felt so sad for all these poor creatures, they didn't deserve any of what they got.

"Hmm… And what of this?" she kneeled down and examined Toothless' prosthetic tail. "Did Drago or his trappers do this, too?"

"Oh, that," I chuckled nervously.

'Funny story,' said Toothless. 'True story.'

"Yeah… You see, the crazy thing is… _I'm_ actually the one who shot him down."

She blinked several times, staring at me.

"But, it's okay though," I said quickly, and I reached over and started petting Toothless' head. "He got me back! Right, bud? You couldn't save all of me, could you? You just had to make it even."

Toothless chuckled. 'Long story's short, one thing lead to another…"

"And the next thing you know… Peg leg!"

I leaned against Toothless as I lifted my leg up, showing off my peg leg. Toothless chortled, then went behind me and shot forward, pushing me onto his head. I laughed as I slid down until I reached the saddle, then wrapped my arms around his neck and started scratching all around it. As he leaned his head back down I looked over to see the woman smiling at me.

"Um… what did your father think of your Night Fury… friend?"

I noticed that she had hesitated on the last word, but I ignored it.

'Oh boy, where do we start?' Toothless said as the woman kneeled down in front of him. 'Should we start with him calling me a beast or him putting me in chains?'

"Toothless," I said warningly, then looked down at the woman. "Well… as you can tell, he didn't take it all that well. But, then… he changed! They all did. Pretty soon, everyone back on home had dragons of their own."

'Even the kids have Deadly Nadders to play with,' said Toothless.

The whole time the woman was staring at us with an unreadable expression. She seemed to be processing everything we had said. Then, she just shook her head.

"If only it were possible."

I blinked. "No, really-"

"Believe me. I tried, as well, but people are not capable of change, Hicca. Some of us… were just born different."

I slid off of Toothless' back and walked over to her. "What do you mean?"

She took a deep breath, sighed, and looked down at me sadly.

"You have to understand, Hicca, the dragon wars were ferocious back in my day. Berk was a land of "kill-or-be-killed," but I believed peace was possible. It was a very unpopular opinion."

"Let me guess, dad didn't support it either?"

She shook her head. "I knew he had his reasons for hating dragons, and I had always tried to persuade him. But, even as I tried to help I was starting to lose hope of convincing anyone. Then, one night, a dragon broke into our house, finding you in the cradle. This dragon, in fact."

She gestured up at the Cloudcutter, who chortled and nudged her with his very large head.

"Him?" I asked.

She nodded. The dragon leaned over towards me, sniffing me for a second before smiling. It was only now that I realized that his large, round eyes and the way he tilted his head reminded me of an oversized owl.

'I thought you seemed familiar,' he said in his loud, warm voice. 'Name's Cloudjumper.'

'Then what happened?' Toothless asked.

"Well, obviously I was worried so I went to go help," she said. "I rushed to protect you… but what I saw was proof of everything I believed. This wasn't a vicious beast, but an intelligent, gentle creature, whose soul reflected my own."

Cloudjumper rubbed his head against hers, a low growl issuing from his throat. She smiled up at him and rubbed under his chin. I smiled at them. It was obvious that they were close. But, something about the story didn't add up yet.

"But… how did you get here?" I asked.

She looked at me, her smile fading. "Your father… he thought I was in danger and rushed to protect me. Cloudjumper went to attack him, catching the house on fire. I went to stop him, and… he carried me off. The last thing I saw was your father taking you out of your crib before the house burned to the ground…"

This time I could feel tears starting to build up, but I held them back. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Everything that she had done, all that she had been through was to bring peace to us and dragons. She really was my mother…

She finally raised her head and looked up at me sadly. "You and your father nearly died that night, all because I couldn't kill a dragon."

I smiled sadly. "Yeah… it kinda runs in the family."

She looked at me, her eyes slightly shiny. "It broke my heart to stay away, but I thought you'd be safer if I did."

I nodded, but still, something wasn't adding up.

"But, I don't understand. How did you survive?"

'I had no intentions of harming your mother, child,' said Cloudjumper.

"He's right," my mother said. "He just thought that I belonged here, in the home of the great Bewilderbeast."

I followed her as she walked over to the edge of the grass covered rock. I was just able to see part of a vast lake and a waterfall before I saw him. A giant, magnificent dragon of which I had never seen before in my life. It was massive, about the size of a small mountain. It was solid white with black-tipped spike on his head and along his back. He had two large white tusks that protruded from either side of his face. He was laying in the middle of the vast lake, as he though sleeping there. All around him were many dragons, all of whom appeared to be bowing respectively towards him.

"Oh my gods…" I breathed.

"The alpha species, one of the very few that still exists," she told me. "Every nest has its queen, but this is the _king_ of all dragons! With his icy breath, this graceful giant built our nest; a safe haven for dragons everywhere."

"Wait, _that's_ the ice-spitter?" I asked, staring at the dragon. "He's responsible for all that destruction?"

'Everything the Alpha does, he does to protect us and keep us happy,' said Cloudjumper.

"Cloudjumper's right, dear," my mom said. "We all live under his care and his command."

From behind me I could hear loud chortling and chirping. I turned around to see several baby dragons crowded around Toothless, who looked like he was being held at spear-point. Cloudjumper walked over to him and roared gently, causing the babies to fly off.

"All but the babies, of course," my mom giggled. "Who listen to no one!"

The babies flew down below and started jumping and flying around the Bewilderbeast's tusks. The massive dragon opened his eyes and gave a small grunt, causing the babies to take off. I giggled. Then, the Alpha slowly stood up, turning the water below him. He turned towards us and only had to take one step to be close to us. The second he was near, my mom got down on one knee, bowing to him. From beside me I saw Toothless shift around nervously, and he bowed as well. I looked up at the dragon and realized just how close he was. I gasped, tempted to take a step back, but I was frozen where I stood.

'Valka, I see you have brought someone,' the dragon spoke in a deep, booming voice.

"Yes, my king," she raised her head. "A very long awaited guest. This is my daughter, Hicca."

'Indeed?'

The dragon turned his gaze to me, and his icy blue eyes seemed to pierce through my very soul. I swallowed hard, unsure of what to do. The only person who had ever intimidated me in life was my dad, and the fact that it was happening again because of someone else was unnerving.

'Have no fear, child,' the Alpha said in a surprisingly gentle voice. 'You are very much welcomed here.'

I gulped. "Um… Th-thank you…"

He let out a low rumble that sounded like a chuckle. Then he opened his jaws, and what looked like icy mist blew out and I got a face full of it. I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them, and I could feel frost on my face and in my hair. From beside me, my mom giggled.

"He likes yah."

I smiled up at the Alpha as I ruffled the ice out of my hair. "Wow…"

"You must be hungry."

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I could eat," I said, suddenly realizing how hungry I actually was.

"Good. It's feeding time."

I looked at her as she started to walk away, Cloudjumper following right behind her. Toothless walked up next to me, and we both followed after them.

"Oh, by the way," my mom stopped walking and turned to face us. "Could I see his other form?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Um… Sure. Uh, Toothless?"

'Sure, I don't mind.'

Toothless folded his wing around himself for a moment, and when they moved he was in his human form. My mom put a finger to her chin, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Hmm… I see he is as handsome in this form as he is in his other form," she grinned at me. "I certainly see one of the reasons you took a fancy to him."

I giggled sheepishly as I felt my cheeks start to turn red. Toothless chuckled as I felt him grasp my hand, squeezing it tightly. It felt like it had been forever since he held my hand.

"Well, come along then," my mom said brightly. "Let's eat!"

* * *

**Austen's P.O.V.**

_Sit here and wait for them to come back. Tch, some plan!_

"I don't like it," I folded my arms. "They should've been back with Hicca by now."

"I don't like it either!" Ruffnut groaned miserably. "Eret, son of Eret was the man of my dreams- my everything!"

"But, baby, I grew facial hair for you," Snotlout incredulously.

"Me, too…" Fishlegs added sadly.

'Ugh, this is ridiculous,' Stormfly muttered.

"What if Drago shot them down? What if they need our help?" I straightened up. "We have to find them."

"Wait wait, what?" said Fishlegs. "No, but Stoick said-"

"It doesn't matter what he said, if they've all been captured!" I gripped the handle of my saddle tightly. "C'mon!"

'You're the boss,' said Stormfly before she took off.

It wasn't that hard to find Eret and his crew. They hadn't moved hardly at all since we last ditched them this afternoon. The sun was now low in the sky, it wouldn't be long until sunset.

"There they are," I whispered to Stormfly. "You know what I'm thinking?"

Stormfly chortled. 'I like the way you think, hon."

Without another word she lowered herself so that she was just above the level of the boat. As we closed in I could hear Drago shouting.

"We have nowhere to go, nothing to sell, and no heads to call our own! If we don't turn up with dragons, and fast-!"

Before he could say anymore, my awesome girlfriend grabbed him and yanked him off his boat. He screamed in fear as he was lifted higher and higher into the air.

"Careful what you wish for!" I chimed.

From behind me I heard the crew scream Eret's name and yell at me. I looked around me as the others managed to catch up to me.

"What is this?" Eret demanded.

"A kidnapping," I said brightly.

"Yay! Can he ride with me? Can he? Can he?" Ruffnut said huskily.

Tuffnut groaned and yanked her off, and Ruffnut just growled at Eret.

"Alright, listen up, you," I said as I leaned over to look at Eret. "Here's what's gonna happen- you're gonna show us the way to Drago."

"And help dragon riders sneak into Drago's camp?" Eret said, staring at me. "Just kill me now."

"That can be arranged," I said. "Babe, drop him."

Stormfly released him, and Eret screamed as he fell towards the icy water.

"That's my girl! Babe, catch him."

'Alright, if you're sure.'

Stormfly changed course and started heading down towards Eret.

"ALL RIGHT!" he screamed. "OKAY! I'LL TAKE YOU TO DRAGO!"

Stormfly snatched him up just inches above the water. I chuckled as I popped the knuckles in my fingers.

"Ha, works every time!"


	5. A Day with Mother

Ch. 5  
A Day with Mother

Toothless and I flew closely behind my mom and Cloudjumper. We were outside of the island and flying over the icebergs and sea. I had no idea where she was trying to take us, but the rumbling in my stomach told me to be patient. Then, from behind me I heard a screech. I turned around, and saw that we were being followed by what looked like every dragon from the island. I blinked as I stared at them.

"Uh…"

'You're just now noticing them, huh?' Toothless asked.

I nodded. Shaking my head, I turned back around to look at my mom.

"Hey, I thought we were going to eat?"

"Oh, we are!"

Her and Cloudjumper suddenly stopped moving and turned around. She held her hand out and Toothless stopped, flapping where he sat.

"Uh, what're we doing then?" I asked curiously.

But she just smiled at be before looking down. Toothless and I both shared a glance before we too looked down at the sea below us. I saw the water turn violently before something large broke the surface. It was the Alpha. He bellowed loudly before opening his large jaws, and tons of fish sprayed out. The fish had gone up so high that it now looked like it was raining fish. I gasped as I stared around in amazement. My mom started laughing. From all around me, the other dragons started chasing after the falling fish, grabbing as many as they could carry.

'Hicca!' Toothless looked up at me excitedly. 'Can do that too? Can I, can I?!'

I chuckled before gesturing down. "Go ahead. I'm not stopping you."

'YEAH!'

Without hesitation, Toothless suddenly dove down along with the other dragons. As he leveled out I saw his head snap from side to side as he caught several fish in his very large mouth. I looked down to see that Toothless had gone cross-eyed before he started to chew all of his fish.

"Don't choke," I said, half laughing.

Suddenly, something fell right into my lap. It was a single fish. I looked up to see my mom and Cloudjumper hovering above us. The dragon tilted his head and chortled.

'You're welcome.'

I laughed.

"So," my mom called down. "How about after you eat, you tell me everywhere else that you've been to."

I smiled up at her.

After eating my fish, my mom led us around the island before taking us to edge of the island that was covered in snow. She leapt off of Cloudjumper and waited for me.

"So?" she asked, looking a little excited.

I hopped off of Toothless and walked over to her. I reached into my vest and pulled out the sketchbook and opened it. She looked at it curiously.

"This is where I've mapped all the places I've been," I said as I kneeled down into the snow. "And all the new land that Toothless and I have discovered."

I slowly and gently started to pull out and unfold the map. I unfolded and revealed every little addition that I ever made. I looked up at my mom, and I was happy to see an amazing look on her face.

"My, my," she said. "You two certainly get around."

"No kidding," I pointed to one spot on the map. "See, this here is Berk. And this island over here, that's Dragon Island. It's got more dragons on there than most of the islands around us, but the rest of them have plenty. My friends and I once went to this little island, here, and it was filled Changwings. But, we were trying to save this Scaldran that got stuck on land, so we just had to be careful. Oh, and then, from Dragon Island, I found this archipelago, and…"

But when I glanced back up to look at her, I saw that she had moved. I looked around, saw her in front of me, and my jaw dropped. She was using her staff to draw all of the islands that I had drawn on my map into the snow. She just finished the end of one island before backing up next to me.

"There," she said.

I looked down at the snow before smiling up at her. She smiled back. Then, I heard a familiar groan and turned around. Toothless was waltzing around the snow, drawing squiggly lines all over the islands that my mom had drawn with a large icicle he held in his mouth. I let out a small fit of giggles as I looked up at my mom.

"Don't worry," I said. "He's always like this."

She chuckled, and we both watched as Toothless dried to drop the large icicle, but it just stuck to his tongue.

* * *

After getting the icicle off of Toothless, my mom brought us to this little spot on the island farther towards the ocean. Air seemed to come from nowhere and lift us up without Toothless having to flap his wings.

I held onto the handles of my saddle to keep from floating off of Toothless. I looked up and saw that my mom was simply standing on Cloudjumper's back, not even holding onto anything. _I gotta learn how to do that! _She looked over at me and smiled. Then, to my surprise, she walked across Cloudjumper's wing and landed on the back of a nearby Nadder. She walked across it and leapt down to a nearby dragon that I think she called a Snafflefang. She tiptoed across his wings and hooked herself onto another dragon using her hooked staff. The dragon floated over towards us and she then landed on Toothless' right wing. She smiled at me as she quickly walked over. She leapt over me, ruffling my bangs as she landed on Toothless' other wing. She walked backwards a bit before slowly sliding off. I gasped slightly as I looked down, then laughed when I saw her on Cloudjumper's back once more.

She smiled at us before they turned and started flying away. I patted Toothless' head, and he quickly followed him. My mom waited until I was level with her before speaking.

"Oh, when I'm up here," she breathed. "I don't even feel the cold. I just feel…"

"Free," I finished.

She opened her eyes and looked over at me. I smiled at her, and she smiled back. Her smile widened as she looked forward and threw her arms out, as though imagining that she was flying.

"This is what it is to be a dragon, Hicca!" she said loudly and happily.

'She's not wrong,' said Toothless.

I smirked. "Yeah, it's all well and good to call yourself a dragon," I said as I undid the hooks on my belt. "But can you _fly_?"

Without waiting for a response, I leapt off of Toothless' back. I dived down several feet before pulling the loops by my feet, and my wings expanded. The wind forced me up, and I whooped and hollered. I laughed as I turned onto my back, but suddenly, I didn't see any of them above me. I saw movement to the side, and I looked over to see my mom flying next to me. She smiled at me as she rose up. I let out another holler of joy as I turned back onto my front.

Suddenly, I found myself heading straight for large stone pillars. My mouth dropped as I gasped in shock.

"Oh, no!"

'Hold on, Hicca!'

I felt a pair of large, powerful arms wrap around me before I landed hard on the ground. The arms disappeared as I felt myself surrounded in something cold, and I knew that I must've slipped out of Toothless' grip and dove into the snow. Sure enough, when I opened my eyes and I was surrounded my white.

'Hicca?' Toothless called out.

I smiled to myself before jumping up out from underneath the snow.

"Ha!" I called out, and suddenly I was laughing. "Whoo-hoo! Man, almost! We just about had it that time, bud!"

Toothless let out a sneeze and shook his head. I giggled. He snapped his head towards me and gave me a very unamused look.

'You know what? That's it. I'm done with you.'

Suddenly, Toothless' tail swung out from behind me and knocked me off my feet. I yelped as I fell back and landed back into the snow. I grunted as I spat snow out of my mouth. As I got up to my feet I heard laughter as my mom suddenly ran up to me. She walked around me and examined my suit with amazement in her eyes.

"Incredible," she said as she examined the spikes on my back.

I smiled. "Well, you're not bad yourself."

She wasn't listening to me, but walked around to stand in front of me as she looked me all over, touching parts of my suit. Suddenly, in her hast to examine, her hand landed on my cheek. She quickly took it off, hesitated, and then gently placed it back on. I closed my eyes as I leaned into her palm. I opened my eyes to look at her, and she smiled as she moves my bangs behind my ear.

"All this time, you took after me," she said softly, then her face fell. "And…where was I? I'm so sorry, Hicca. Can we start over?" she looked up at me hopefully. "Will… will you give me another chance?"

I looked up at her for a moment. For the first time since I was a baby, I finally had a mother, and here she was, begging to be a part of my life again. I looked at her for a moment before I smiled widely, and gave a small nod. How could I say no? As soon as I nodded her face lit up and a smile grew on her face.

"I can teach you all that I've learned these past 20 years," she said quickly as she walked around me and went over to Toothless. "Like…"

She raised her hand and placed it on the back of Toothless' neck. She started rubbing circles into his neck, and he groaned. Then I heard a loud snapping noise and I looked up. The spikes along Toothless' back had all snapped apart, now forming two rows of spikes from his back down to his tail.

"Wow," I breathed.

My mom smiled. "Now you can make those tight turns."

Toothless shook his head, looking like he had just come out of a trance. He looked behind him, saw the spikes, and gasped. He then looked at me, his face beaming.

'Hicca, look!'

He chortled happily as he bounced over to me. I laughed as I reached up and patted his head.

"Did you know about this?"

'Of course I didn't!' he squealed as he started to make his spikes clap. 'Why else would I be this happy?'

I giggled as I kissed his head. Toothless happily licked my cheek before he started bouncing around. My mom laughed as she walked up to me.

"How did you do that?" I asked in amazement.

"Don't worry, there's more where that came from," she said, smiling.

"Wow… wicked!"

She chuckled as she placed an arm around my shoulders. "Every dragon has its secrets, and I'll show them all to you. We'll unlock every mystery, find every last species together, as mother and daughter."

I looked forward when I saw Toothless leap into the snow and dive down, as though it were water. He crawled around a bit before suddenly jumping out right next to Cloudjumper, snow flying everywhere. A large amount of it landed on the larger dragon's head, and he frown in an unamused sort of way. Toothless', oblivious as ever, didn't pay him no mind and just beamed over at us, licking snow off of his lips. Me and my mom laughed, and then laughed even more when Cloudjumper tilted his head and dumped the snow off onto Toothless' head instead.

"This gift we share, Hicca, it bonds us," I looked over at her as she gripped my shoulder. "This is who you are, dear. Who _we_ are. We will change the world for all dragons. We will make it a better, safer place!"

"Yes!" I said excitedly. "Yeah, that's sounds amazing! It's all I've ever wanted…!"

My mom beamed at me for a moment before rushing forward and wrapping her arms around me. I froze for a moment, stunned by surprise. Then, I smiled before hugging her back, resting my forehead into her shoulder. I couldn't remember the last time I was this happy. This was amazing, this was wonderful.

"Wow, this is so great!" I said as I lowered my arms and stepped back. "Man, it's better than great! Now you and I can go talk to Drago together."

"What?" she shook her head. "There's no talking to Drago, dear."

I raised my eyebrow. "What?"

'It's too dangerous,' said Cloudjumper as he walked over to us. 'Besides, he would never listen to us.'

I frowned. "But, we have to-"

"No," my mom reached up and held Cloudjumper's face. "We must protect our own."

I shook my head and groaned. Not her, too.

"Come on," she said. "We should be getting back."

I sighed. "Alright, c'mon bud," I looked around. "…Toothless?"

Toothless looked over at me, still beaming as he clapped his new spikes. I giggled in spite of myself.

* * *

**Austen's P.O.V.**

It didn't take us long to follow Eret's lead to where Drago was hiding. Thanks to a little persuading, he led us to this gigantic island that looked like a glacier. We flew into this cave that was filled with snow and ice.

As we passed through the cave entrance Stormfly released Eret from her grasp. He landed in the snow with a loud thud and a grunt. Then he got up and quickly started to run.

'Oh no, you don't!'

Stormfly quickly dove down and landed right on top of him, pinning him down in the snow. I smirked as I got off of Stormfly.

"Okay!" Eret spat. "Look, I got you here, now get this thing off me!"

I shook my head. "Nope, can't do that."

"What?"

"Never take a toy from a dragon. Don't you know anything?" I looked up at Stormfly. "Keep an eye him, babe."

'No problem.'

I smirked as I turned around. The others got off of their dragons and followed me as I crawled up a snow-covered hill. As I neared the top I crouched down and crawled up until I was on the ledge. I peeked over to get a better look, and gasped. I was staring down into the water below at what looked like a whole armada of ships. They all seemed to fill up the entire area of the water. As I looked closer, I could see that the biggest one, as well as many others, seemed to be sitting in a circle around a small area of the water from which massive bubbles kept appearing on the surface.

"What's down there?" I said. "It has to be some kind of dragon, right?"

"It must be," Fishlegs pulled out his info cards and looked from them to the water and back. "Large diameter bubbles, massive lungs, cold water deep dweller… I'm thinking class five leviathan, maybe six."

From behind me, I heard a soft growling. I turned around to look back at the dragons. Stormfly appeared to be standing up, looking around the cave.

"Stormfly?"

Suddenly, she screeched and took flight, shooting into the air.

'Guys! Run!' she shouted.

Before any of us could move, I saw movement from the snow. I saw several men dressed in polar bear furs and holding blowing dart pipes. They started blowing darts, and they all started to hit the dragons. They growled and roared for a moment before falling to the ground. I sprang to my feet and withdrew my axe as I ran down the hill, the others following behind me.

"Hookfang!"

"Meatlug! What's wrong, girl?"

But, even as we reached them the men in the furs leapt out, brandishing their own weapons. Only now did I realize that there were more of them than there were of us.

"Don't move!" one of them shouted.

I glared around at them as I lowered my axe. From next to me, I saw Fishlegs drop his cards and throw his hands into the air. This did not look good at all.

* * *

I wish I could say that I've been in worse situations, but I couldn't think of any right now. And even if I could, being tied up and sent straight to Drago's ship would still probably be at the top of the list.

"Drago!" Eret said with the air of someone trying to play polite.

I looked up at the upper level of the deck, and saw a tall dark figure approach us. He was just as Stoick had described, scars and all. And he was in a long cloak of dragon skin. I cringed slightly. I don't know why, but that black skin and those scales looked suspiciously like that of a Night Fury.

"Get off me!" Eret snapped at the man who was holding his arms. He glared at him and then smiled at Drago. "Haha! Always great to see you, my friend! Keeping warm up here."

Drago didn't speak. The ironclad dragons who were dragging our still unconscious dragons stopped moving. They bowed their heads and looked away as Drago passed them. A crew member walked up by Eret and quickly snatched both of his swords. Eret stared for a moment before adopting a tone of casualty.

"Well, as you can see, I'm right on time with a new batch of dragons," he said. "Just like I promised."

Then, ahead of me, I heard sudden growling. I looked over to see that Hookfang had woken up.

"He's waking up!"

"Give me some backup, here!"

The men around him grabbed the ropes that were wrapped around the Nightmare's neck. Hookfang snarled and roared, snapping at them.

'How dare you! Get your hands off me!'

"Drop the ropes!"

I looked down to see Drago walked up to Hookfang with no worry on his face and swagger in his step. The men did as they were told and ran off. Hookfang growled at the man before opening his jaws and spouting fire out at him. For a moment, it looked like the dragon had killed him. But, as soon as the fire stopped I saw that Drago was still standing, and was holding the dragon skin up as a shield. He dropped the cloak and continued to walk forward. Me and the others stared in surprised. Even Eret looked unnerved.

A man standing next to him held out a spear and Drago took it. Then, out of nowhere, Drago started yelling loudly and started waving the spear around above his head. He sounded mad and deranged. Hookfang flinched as he stared at him. Drago yelled once more before slamming the spear into the deck of the ship. He growled softly, glaring down at the dragon. Hookfang lowered his head until it rested on the ground. Drago smirked as he rested his foot on the Nightmare's snout.

"Hookfang!" Snotlout shouted.

"Hey, what're you doing?" I yelled furiously.

Drago didn't even look at us. "You belong to me, now," he snarled, smirking down at Hookfang.

"And, as an added bonus," Eret spoke up, looking as though he weren't affected by what just happened. "I also caught you their riders. No extra charge."

"What?" I snapped. "Are you frigging kidding me?"

"Aw! But, you were so perfect!" Ruffnut groaned sadly.

Eret ignored us. "Turns out, there's a whole bunch of them out there. They attac-"

Eret was cut off as Drago snatched him by his throat and dragged him down to his feet.

"How many?" he glowered lowly.

I inhaled sharply. "Drago doesn't have them after all," I hissed to the others.

"How many?!" Drago repeated.

"Hundreds," I spoke up loudly. "A whole island full!"

"I wouldn't worry about it," Eret coughed as Drago's grip on his throat tightened. "My men are hunting them down as we speak. They won't now- where you're hiding, I promise you that!"

"Oh yes, they will!" I said as I walked up. Drago glared at me as he dropped Eret. "They know we're missing, and they have tracking dragons. If you so much as touch us, Hicca is gonna kick your-"

"Hicca?" Drago snapped questioningly.

"She's not a problem," Eret rasped. "Really. Trust me."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh yeah, she's no problem," I said. "She's only the daughter of Stoick the Vast, his heir to the throne of Berk, and the greatest dragon master this world has ever seen!"

"Dragon master?" Drago growled. "I alone control the dragons!"

From behind me, I heard the others laugh.

"No. Mmm-mmm."

"Sorry!"

Drago glared down at me. "No man can ever defeat me," he snarled. "What makes you think she can? No woman can handle being chief, let alone fight someone like me!"

I glared up at him with as much anger as I could muster. This was not the first time I heard any sexiest behavior towards Hicca, but this one really pissed me off.

"Because," I said through gritted teeth. "If you don't let us go, right now, she will blast through here on her Night Fury and blow your entire fleet of ships to splinters!"

"Then they'll be crying like babies!" Ruffnut jeered.

The other boys laughed.

"Funny and beautiful."

"Good one, babe!"

"Yeah, like babies," Tuffnut added. "They always cry. Real tiny ones."

I smirked as I looked up at Drago. Hopefully, now he would be convinced to let us all go free. Instead, he reached down and grabbed Eret by the face.

"First, there was one rider, and now, all of Berk!" he growled as he bared his teeth. "And you led them to _me_!"

He yelled as he threw Eret down onto the ground. Eret grunted as he sat up.

"Drago-!"

"Stop all preparations!" Drago yelled to his crew. "We must attack the dragon rider's nest at once! We will take down their alpha, then… we will take Berk!"

All around me, Drago's crew yelled and cheered in agreement. My whole chest felt deflated and a sick feeling sunk into my stomach. My plan had backfired. _What have I done…?_

"Drago!" Eret yelled.

"And get rid of him," Drago said, gesturing to Eret.

At once, all of the men on deck turned and aimed their weapons towards Eret, who backed up hastily.

"Oh Drago, please, I…"

One of the men threw a large dagger down towards Eret, who threw his arms up. Suddenly, something big and blue came crashing down and blocked the dagger. It was Stormfly. She screeched at all of the men as she whipped her tail and spikes shot out. From above, I saw a man put a pipe to his mouth, and a red dart shot out.

"Stormfly!"

Before she could do anything, the dart hit her in her neck. She groaned before she fell onto her side on the deck. I gasped as I watched her fall.

"NO!"

I tried to run forward, but one of the men grabbed my arms and held me back. I snarled as I pushed forward with all my might. Several more men ran forward and grabbed me by my arms and held me up so that my feet were above the ground. I just barley heard Drago order to his men.

"Get rid of them all!" he said. "And get that dragon in a cage, now!"

I kicked out furiously, trying to escape the grasp of the men around me. But a few more just grabbed my feet as they dragged me off.

"No!" I screamed. "She's a mother, you monster! You can't do this! Ugh, get off me!"

But no matter how much I struggled and kicked I couldn't get out. I was dragged off along with the others. I looked forward at Stormfly as several men with rope surrounded her. Eret was still standing up, staring down at her.


	6. The Pain of Aging

Ch. 6  
The Pain of Aging

_Well, so much for getting help from mother, _I thought grumpily as I marched along the lake, kicking a few sticks in the process. It was nearly night now, and the sun had already lowered onto the horizon, casing an orangey glow over the icy mountain we all currently resided in. Many of the older dragons had already gone to sleep, some of them sleeping on rocks next to the lake. Other younger dragons and even some hatchlings remained wide awake, flying around the lake and through the whole mountain.

I sighed as I walked up to the edge of the lake and sat down at rock that sat halfway into the water. I sat there for a moment before I reached down and slowly took off my right boot. It was much easier to do when I didn't have my whole leather flying suit on. All I had on now were my brown pants and my long-sleeved, dark green shirt. I leaned down and rolled up the pant leg of my right leg until it was to my knee, then I lowered my foot into the cold water. I shivered for a moment before relaxing. It felt nice. I tucked my prosthetic leg underneath my right knee as I kicked the water lightly. I looked up and looked around. The Alpha still remained in the lake, half submerged, and looking as though he were in a deep sleep.

I sighed as I lowered my head to stare into my lap. So far, everything has gone both up and down hill in the last 24 hours. This morning I was soaring through the air with my best friend, and now I was in a dragon safe haven with my mother; that's the upside. The downside is that Berk was still on lockdown, Drago Bludvist was out there, and it seemed that neither of my parents wanted to stop him in anyway. I sighed sadly as I closed my eyes. And to think, my life wasn't complicated enough already. Drago, becoming chief, and the stupid dragon aging process. _No, _I told myself. _Don't think about it, thinking about it will only make it worse._

'Repressing a bad thought is unhealthy, child.'

I gasped as I snapped my head up. The Alpha was awake, and he was looking directly at me. I gulped as I tried to form words.

"A-Alpha, I thought you were asleep."

'Not quite,' he said. 'I was trying, but it is hard to sleep when there are hatchlings hovering right above your head.'

He rolled his eyes above him, and I saw a group of hatchlings literally flying right above his head, chirping and squawking like mad. I couldn't help but cover my mouth as I let out a laugh. The Alpha huffed, blowing at the younglings softly. They dispersed and flew off, still squawking. I smiled as I my eyes followed them. When I heard the water splashing I looked down to see that the Alpha was slowly walking towards me, his footsteps making surprisingly soft thumps. Despite the noise, all of the dragons that were sleeping around the lake remained still, snoring and grumbling. The Alpha stopped several feet from the rock where I sat, but thanks to his massive size he might as well have been sitting next to me, and he sat down in front of me.

'So, what brings to hear this evening?' the Alpha asked. 'I thought you would want to be with your mother after being reunited after so long.'

"She's sleeping," I said as I wiggled my toes in the water. "Says this whole days been tiring, and wanted to turn in early."

The Alpha gave a low nod. 'Yes. Forgive me, but your mother is not as young as she once was. Neither am I, now that I think about it.'

"How old are you?" I asked without thinking.

Alpha gave a deep chuckle. 'Let's just say I've been around much longer than your mother.'

"Your aging process started a while ago then, huh?"

'Centuries ago, yes,' he said. 'So, you do know about the way in which dragons age then?'

I gulped. "Yeah, I've known for about two years now," I looked up at him. "Excuse me for asking, but did you think I didn't know it or something?"

'I was curious whether or not you knew,' he answered. 'Mostly because I heard of your relationship with the Night Fury you call Toothless,' he looked down at me with a serious gaze. 'Child, you do know that your relationship has a consequence, don't you?'

I looked down at the rippling water below me. I had a feeling that this was going to happen. I did not know when or with who, but I knew that it would.

"Yeah, I knew."

'When did you discover it?'

I sighed, and slowly lifted my head to look at him.

"I found out on my eighteenth birthday."

* * *

_(Flashback; 2 years ago)_

"_Happy birthday, Hicca!"_

_This statement was echoed loudly, and was soon followed by clapping. I froze halfway down the stairs to stare at the lower level beneath me. Several people were standing there, and a few of them had scales on their arms and faces. Suddenly my father stepped out of the crowd, holding his arms out to me._

"_Happy birthday, darling!" he boomed, a smile on his face. "Glad you're finally awake!"_

"_D-dad?" I stuttered, rubbing my tired eyes as I walked down the last set of stairs. "What's going on?"_

"_We're here tah celebrate yer birthday," Gobber walked up next to my dad. "Surprised yah, didn't we?"_

"_Yeah," I let out a soft yawn. "Especially since I just woke up."_

"_Aww! Did we wake you up?" I heard a familiar voice ask._

_I craned my neck to look passed the two large men in front of me, and saw a boy with blonde, ear length hair smirking at me, hands on his hips. It was Austen._

"_No, as a matter of fact you didn't," I pointed a thumb behind me. "The big, scaly jerk living in my room woke me up."_

"_Hey! I resent that remark!"_

_I whipped my head around, and smiled. Standing there, now in his human form, was Toothless. He had his arms folded and a smirk on his face._

"_You __practically roared in your sleep this morning!" I accused, but my tone was playful. "I already had to get used to your snoring, but I refuse to get used to that!"_

_There were several laughs and chuckles, and Toothless rolled his eyes. He slowly marched down the stairs until he was on the same level as me. He then threw his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to him as he bent his head to kiss my temple._

"_Happy birthday, love."_

_I giggled. "Thanks, bud."_

"_Eck! Stop the mushiness!" I heard Tuffnut say from the back._

"_Yeah! It's making me sick!" said Ruffnut._

"_Shut up, you two!" Austen snapped at them._

_I grinned at him before looking around the room. There were several other people there. I saw both Snotlout and Fishlegs were standing there too- Snotlout standing with his arms folded, and Fishlegs bouncing on his heels, hands behind his back. Next to them was a girl who looked no older than twenty. She was tall, about as tall as Toothless. She had long, waist length hair that was silvery blonde, and hung around her sharp, pretty face. She had a pair of beautiful, amber eyes, and a stunning smile that had grown on her face._

"_Hey, Stormfly," I called to her._

"_Hi, Hicca."_

"_Your little ones at home then?" I asked as I walked towards her._

_Stormfly grinned more. At that moment there were several tiny squeals, and suddenly three small dragons came up from behind her. Three, two-year-old Deadly Nadder babies, to be exact. The second they saw me they all instantly ran up to me._

'_Hicca!'_

_I giggled and kneeled down, holding my arms out for the blue Nadder that was running towards me. He cooed for a moment before hopping into my arms, flapping his wings excitedly. The baby dragon was Stormfly's son, Saga. And, as you might've noticed, he seems to have attached himself to me a bit more._

"_Hey, Saga," I stood up, petting his smooth, scaly head. "How's my boy?"_

'_Good!' the hatchling chirped. 'Oh! And Hicca, guess what? I changed last night!'_

_I gasped with enthusiasm. The 'change' was what it was called when a dragon baby transformed into their humanoid form for the first time. Most of the time, the change doesn't happen until a hatchling is about three or four years old, but in some cases it could happen sooner. Clearly, that's what happened to Saga._

"_That's amazing! You are getting so big!" I enthused, and he beamed at me._

'_We're big, too!' Freya piped up._

"_Yeah!" Aarao added._

_I laughed as I gently set Saga down on the ground. "Yes, I know."_

_I petted both Freya and Aarao's heads, and they chirped happily. I stood up straight and looked at Fishlegs._

"_Hey, 'Legs," I grinned. "Where's Meatlug?"_

"_Oh, she had to stay home and watch her own babies," he said. "She has more than five, you know."_

"_Yeah, I do."_

_After that, we had a regular hangout at the house. We all sat around my house, chatting and having some decent fun. Dad, of course, talked to me the most. He told me that things were going to be changing, that I was eighteen now, and I was becoming an adult. My only response was a shrug and a simple, "okay." Personally, I don't think I needed to worry about the responsibilities of being a grownup. Not just yet, at least. I'll have plenty of time to do that when I need to. Like, whenever I take my dad's place as chief, for instance. In a situation like that, I would have to be a responsible adult. __Wow… me as chief… sounds weird…_

_After a while it was revealed that everyone had actually gotten me something. Austen had gotten me this lovely dagger that he had apparently gotten from Trader Joan a few weeks ago. It was really pretty, with shining steal and a smooth, hard wooden end._

"_Thanks, man," I told him._

"_Don't mention it," he said, putting an arm around me to give me a one-armed hug._

"_I got somethin' for yah, too!" Gobber came up with a large bag. "Some more leather for that suit yer makin'."_

_I gasped slightly as I took the bag from him. I opened it and looked inside. There was a bunch of black, spare leather._

"_Thanks Gobber! This is just what I need to make my flying suit!"_

"_Yer welcome."_

"_Hicca," Stormfly stepped up to me as everyone around us disbursed to talk with one another. I noticed that her hands were behind her back. "The kids and I picked this out just for you."_

_I walked up to her as she took her hands from behind her back and out to me. In her hands was a small, brown sketchbook, similar to my old one. The old one I had was a faded dark brown and had already been filled with drawings, mostly consisting of new dragons that we had discovered. But in the last dozen pages there were images of me and Toothless, and the sketchbook was now filled. This one was a lighter brown and looked brand new, and it had a buckle to keep it closed._

"_Stormfly," I said as I took the book. "This thing is amazing! Thank you."_

"_No problem," she said kindly. "Though, you should thank Austen. He's the one who gave me suggestions."_

_She smiled as she nodded behind me. I turned around and was met with a touching sight. Austen was kneeling on the floor, holding Freya in his arms. He was smiling and speaking to her, and the little hatchling was chortling happily._

"_How have you two been, by the way?" I asked as I turned back around._

_Stormfly, still smiling dreamily at Austen, didn't look at me as she said, airily, "What do you mean?"_

"_You know," I said. "You and him- together."_

_Stormfly finally looked at me, her dreamy expression gone, replaced with a look of shock. Her mouth opened for a moment, then it closed._

"_Stormfly," I said. "You're talking to the first girl to ever fall in love with a dragon. Be honest with me."_

_Stormfly lowered her head to look down at the ground, hesitating. Then she glanced up at me, a small grin on her face._

"_We've been together for a month now," she said lowly. "Just a month."_

"_Does anyone else know?"_

_She shook her head. "We were gonna wait a little longer before telling anyone, especially his parents."_

_I nodded. "And how has it been?"_

_Stormfly lifted her head up and suddenly gave me the biggest smile I've ever seen on her face. "It's been amazing, Hicca," she said, still keeping her voice low. "Austen is a wonderful companion! He's honest, loyal, and so sweet when we're alone. He doesn't even care that I'm a little older than he is. And what's more, my children love him! I haven't been this happy since I was with my mate, Aarao."_

_I smiled. I had a feeling that something was going on between the two of them, but I didn't know that it was this… well, special._

"_I'm happy for you two," I told her. "But, a word of advice, you might wanna tell his parents first, and maybe soon. I'm surprised they haven't found out yet."_

_She nodded, smiling. "Thank you, Hicca."_

_I nodded. Then, I remembered something that I had been meaning to ask her about._

"_Austen told me about what happened last night," I said, and this time I brought my voice to a whisper. "Stormfly, is it true? Did Freya call him 'daddy'?"_

_Stormfly blinked and stared at me. Then she sighed, and nodded._

"_What did you do?"_

"_I wasn't there when it happened, Austen told me," said Stormfly. "He was just putting them to bed, I went to sleep earlier. He laid Freya in her nest and before she went to sleep she…"_

_She paused. I leaned in slightly, giving her a look._

"_Well?"_

"_She said 'I love you, daddy'…"_

_I felt my eyes widened as I looked at her. I knew that Austen was rather close with Stormfly's hatchlings, especially Freya. She was like his own little girl, but I never would have thought that they all would actually consider him their father._

"_Do they know that he's not actually their father?"_

_Stormfly gave a small shrug. "I don't think so. Don't worry, I'm gonna tell them about their real father when they're a bit older, of course. But, now… they're just too young, they wouldn't understand."_

_I nodded. "Well… whatever you do, I'm right behind you both."_

_Stormfly smiled. "Thank you, Hicca. You're amazing."_

_The rest of the day passed with ease. It wasn't until after an early dinner that everyone decided to leave. I stood by the door and gave several hugs and handshakes as everyone left. The last ones to leave were Stormfly and Austen, and the hatchlings. After receiving chirpy goodbyes and petting the little ones, I gave both of my friend's big hugs. I patted Austen's shoulder as he passed by. The group stepped down the small flight of stairs as I started to close the door. Before closing it, I snuck a peek at Austen and Stormfly, and smiled when I saw him reach out and grab her hand. I slowly shut the door and turned around._

"_Well," my dad marched up towards me, placing his helmet onto his head. "I have some work I've got to do in the Great Hall. I'll be back in a few hours."_

"_Sure thing, dad," I said._

_My dad smiled down at me as he walked up to me. "You're finally growing up, dear," he said, and I smiled at the now familiar name. "Each day, you get more and more like your mother, and she was a beauty, mind you."_

_I giggled. "I'll take that as a compliment."_

_My dad chuckled and pulled me into one of his rib-crushing hugs, and I fought back the grunt and hugged him back._

"_Happy Birthday, Hicca," he said as he sat me down._

"_Thanks, dad."_

_He gave me a small salute before turning and marching out the door. I waited until he shut the door before turning around and going up the stairs to my room. When I got up there I saw Toothless was laying sideways on my bed, his head and feet hanging off both sides. He appeared to be whipping his head from side to side, making his large, black ears flop around. I giggled, and he stopped moving._

"_There you are," he said. "I was starting to get bored."_

"_I can see that," I said playfully._

_Toothless frowned at me as he sat up. "Well, if that's how you're gonna act, then I won't give you your present."_

"_Aw, c'mon!"_

"_Nope," Toothless folded his arms and turned away from me. "You blew it, sweetheart. You're just gonna have to wait until next year."_

_I raised my eyebrows as I stared at him. Was he seriously doing this?_

"_Yes, I am," he said. "Just because you can't hear my thoughts in this form, doesn't mean I can't hear yours."_

_I rolled my eyes. Alright, we'll have to do this the hard way. I slowly strode over towards my bed, keeping my eyes on the back of Toothless' head. I slowly walked around the bed until I stood in front of him, but he kept his eyes closed and his nose in the air. I smirked before quickly leaping up and landing right into his lap. He opened his eyes and looked down at me in surprise. I giggled and leaned up and kiss his scaly cheek._

"_Better?" I asked as I laid my head back down._

_Toothless shook his head slightly as he chuckled. Then he unfolded his arms and held his right hand out above my head. He opened it up, and something small and black fell down before stopping just an inch above my nose. It took me a second to realize that the thing was being held by a string. That's when I realized that it was a necklace._

"_Toothless?"_

"_Happy Birthday, love."_

_I sat up and looked at the thing Toothless was holding. Yes, it was a necklace, but it was what was hanging on the string that caught my attention. It was, undoubtedly, one Toothless' own black scales._

"_Toothless," I looked over at him. "What is this?"_

"_It's a necklace," he answered. "With a scale I took from over my heart. So, when you wear it, a part of me will always go with you, no matter where you go."_

_I smiled as I reached up and held the scale in my hand. I wasn't much for jewelry, but I could definitely make an acceptation for this._

"_May I put it on?" Toothless asked._

_I nodded. He lifted the necklace and the scale slid out of my hand. I watched as the hands in front of me untied the string and then raised it up to my neck. I felt his fingers brush against the back of my neck as he tied the string. After a moment they moved my long, unbraided hair out of the way and over my left shoulder. His arms snacked around my waist and held me tightly and gently. I looked down at my chest and touched the scale with my fingers. It was amazing how something that costed nothing to make could suddenly feel so priceless to me._

_Then, I felt soft lips start to kiss my neck, and goosebumps erupted all over me. I glanced over and saw Toothless nuzzling my neck, his eyes closed._

"_I love you, Hicca," he whispered, his breath warm on my neck, giving me even more goosebumps. "Forever and always, until the day I die."_

_I smiled as I reached my hand up and buried my fingers in his thick, black, untidy hair. My fingers scratched behind his hear and I heard him purr against me._

"_I love you too, bud, until the day I die," I whispered. "Hopefully that won't be for a while."_

"_Of course not," he said. "We have many years to come."_

"_Yeah," I said. "Many years. Hey, how long can dragons live for anyway?"_

"_Mmm… It's different for every dragon," he said lowly, his face still buried in my neck. "Like… Gronkles live for about 6, Nadders live for 7, and Nightmares can live for about 7 to 8, I believe."_

_I turned my head slightly to stare at him, eyebrow raised. What was with all the numbers? What was he talking about?_

"_What do you mean Gronkles live for 6?" I asked. "Like, 60 years?"_

_Toothless snorted. "No, 600."_

_It felt as though my stomach had just turned to lead and then plummeted down a hole. I stared at Toothless for a good 5 seconds before I spoke._

"_600…?"_

"_Of course," Toothless looked up at me. "You didn't know that? I assumed you did. It's not in any of your books?"_

_I slowly slipped out of his grasp and stood up, slowly backing away. This could not be happening, it just cannot be happening._

"_Hicca?" Toothless stood up. "What's wrong?"_

"_Toothless," I said, and I was surprised as how calm I sounded. Too calm. "How long do Night Furies live for?"_

"_About 800 years," he answered. "Love, what's going on?"_

_What was left of my legs began to feel weak as I started trembling. This was real, this was happening. But, I did not want it to happen._

"_Toothless," I said, and this time my voice cracked. "Humans don't live for 800 years. Hell, they're lucky if they live to a hundred."_

_Toothless didn't say anything. He stared at me, his dragon-like eyes wide and his pupils smaller. He suddenly looked scared- no, not scared, terrified._

"_Toothless?"_

_Toothless lowered his head and I saw his hands tighten into fists. Now I was starting to get scared. What would he do now?_

"_Hicca," Toothless spoke lowly. "How… how long can humans live for?"_

_I gulped. "I don't know… 80 years, maybe 90. But usually no more than that."_

_Toothless didn't look up, but his knuckles had gone white._

"_Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered._

"_Toothless-"_

"_Why didn't you tell me?!" he said, and he nearly shouted it that time. "Why didn't you say you don't age the same why I do?"_

"_Why didn't you?!" I snapped back. "Toothless, this is something you should've told me years ago!"_

"_How was I supposed to know that humans don't age the same as us?!"_

"_Didn't your parents tell you or something?"_

"_MY PARENTS WERE KILLED WHEN I WAS 7!"_

_I jumped back several feet, my hands reaching up to clutch at my chest. Toothless had never yelled like that. Not to me. The anger was gone as soon as it had come. Toothless instantly calmed down, and suddenly looked ashamed of himself._

"_They died when I was a hatchling," he said. "They were killed by the Red Death when I was 7 years-old, you know that. I told you that."_

"_I know," I said, my voice shaking. "But, no one ever told you about humans?"_

"_When you grow up as a slave for a monster like the Red Death, you don't have much interest in human life."_

_I nodded. Know that I had a moment to think about it, it made sense that Toothless wouldn't know how humans age. With his situation it would make sense. But, as I thought about it, one thing didn't make sense._

"_But, if you can live to 800, why do you age the same why I do?" I asked. "You've aged up just like me in the past few years."_

"_It's the aging process," he answered. "A dragon will age normally for a certain amount of years before his aging process starts. It's different for all dragons, but when I turn 21, the process will begin for me. I will appear to be in my 20s for several decades before I age up physically. The year the process starts is also when we can start having children."_

"_But… You're almost 21…"_

"_I know…"_

_I felt myself shaking where I stood as I turned around, not baring to look at him as I spoke._

"_Don't you realize what this means?" I breathed shakily._

"_What is it, love?"_

"_Toothless, you're, like, immortal compared to me! I'm gonna keep aging and you're gonna stay young for years- centuries! I'm gonna die hundreds of years before you even get so much as a wrinkle! Our relationship was pointless from the start!"_

_I let out a chocked sob before burying my face into my hands. This just couldn't be real, it had to be a nightmare. The gods couldn't be as cruel as to do this to me. A 3-year-long relationship shattered by this one little thing._

_I heard footsteps from behind me, but I didn't move nor look up. Then I felt arms wrap around me and bring me into a big embrace. I looked up, and I felt by the chill air around me that there was something wet on my face. Had I been crying? I hadn't noticed._

_I turned my head slightly and looked up to see Toothless hunched over me, his eyes closed._

"_Don't say that," he breathed. "Don't ever say that. Our relationship isn't pointless. I love you and I'm happy to be with you."_

"_But, you shouldn't be," I whimpered. "I'm not good enough for you, I can't even age the same as you. You… you deserve a good, beautiful dragon who can live as long as you can, who can be by your side your whole life. I… I probably can't even give you children. I can't even give you a family!"_

_Toothless' hand came up, grabbed my chin, and forced my face up even more. I held my breath as I stared at him. He was less than an inch away from my face and he was gazing down at me with those piercing, electric green eyes that I had come to love so much._

"_How can you be sure of that?" he said lowly. "How can you be so sure that everything is gonna fall apart?"_

"_I-I…"_

"_I know you Hicca, and I know you don't believe that."_

_I swallowed the lump in my throat and took a deep breath. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out but a sort of soft chocking noise. Toothless leaned forward and pressed his lips against hard mine. I sat frozen for a moment before I slowly started to kiss him back. I could never resist to kiss him, even during stuff like this._

_Toothless kissed me for a solid 3 minutes before breaking away. I just realized that needed to breathe and gasped for air._

"_I don't care what happens," he breathed. "And I never want to hear you say that I deserve better, do you understand? You're my companion, and I love you. And I plan on being with you for as long as I can."_

_I stared up at him for a moment before I turned around and buried my face into his chest, wrapping my hands around his neck. He tightened his arms around me and started running his fingers through my hair._

"_We'll figure something out, Hicca," he whispered. "I promise."_

* * *

I fiddled with my hands as I lowered my head. I splashed the water lightly with my right foot, mostly because I didn't know what else to do or say.

'Toothless said earlier that he was 22 years-old, didn't he?' Alpha asked.

"Yes."

'So, his aging process has already started?'

I nodded.

'I'm curious,' he said. 'Have you two found a solution to your problem?'

I let out halfhearted laugh. "If we had, I wouldn't still be worried about it," I looked up at him, into his massive eyes. "I, uh… I don't suppose you know anything that might help, do yah?"

Of course, I was only making conversation. I did not honestly think that the Alpha knew of anyway to help me and Toothless with our problem, even if he was extremely wise. I fully expected the Alpha to shake his head and say that there was nothing to be done. What he did instead was look down at me, completely silent.

'The fascinating thing about being the Alpha,' he said. 'Is that you are opened to amazing possibilities that you would not have if you were a normal dragon. You are given an ample amount of knowledge you never had before, and with that knowledge comes certain abilities.'

I straightened up, staring up at him.

"Are you… um…" I stopped for a second and took a deep breath. "Are you saying that there's a way for us to fix this?

'You see, a long time ago, back when the dragons used to live in harmony among humans, some of them made the decision that they did not want to live the full life of a dragon. They had lived among the humans and had gained many friends, and they knew that it would be hard to say goodbye to so many if they lived out their very long lives. One day, the gods told the dragons at the time of a spell that could change the way that any being aged. But, they did not want every dragon to have such power. Magic and abilities such as these should be given only to dragons who deserve it, who can be trusted with it.

'They selected a small group of dragons, each of a different species, who were chosen to possess the power needed to help them and their kind. They were known as the Alpha's, and they were trusted as the leaders of their dragons. They separated and went to find their own colonies, and were able to use the spell on the few who wanted it dearly.'

The Alpha finally stopped talking and looked calmly down at me. I was speechless.

"Does that mean that…?" I gulped. "Toothless could change the way he ages if he wants to?"

'Precisely, child.'

I inhaled sharply, my whole body going numb. Was this true? Could this really be happening? Every logical voice in my head was saying it was impossible, but my heart was telling me it must be true. But…

I sighed lowly as I hung my head, and I shook it lightly.

"No… I can't," I said. "I couldn't… I could never ask Toothless to do that. He's got such a long life ahead of him, so much he can do, I could never take that away from him."

As sad as it was, it was the truth. I really wanted to be with Toothless as long as I could possibly manage, but not at the cost of his own life. I slowly lifted my head to look up at the Alpha, and was surprised to see him smiling.

'That is precisely what I hoped to hear.'

I raised an eyebrow. Before I could as he suddenly stood up onto his ginormous feet and raised his head upward to the sky and started rumbling loudly in what I realized was Dragonese.

"_Hear me now, great gods above. Know I speak not of hate, but only of love. A wish I ask for you to grant, on this great night. Give me a spell that will give one mortal, the span of a dragon's life._"

He let out a loud roar before opening his large jaws and expelling a huge cloud of frost, just as he did before. But, it did not look like frost. This time, instead of snow white, the stuff was a bright icy blue. It began to swirl around as it started to lower down towards me.

I reacted quickly and started searching my pockets and shirt for something to contain the stuff. I pulled a small, empty pouch from my belt and opened it up. I raised the pouch up above me just as the blue frost met me. For a few seconds my hands were hidden by the frost, then it faded away.

I lowered my hands and looked inside the small pouch. What was inside did not appear to be solid nor liquid. It looked as though I had shining, icy blue air inside the pouch.

'This should help you with your problem,' the Alpha said in a surprisingly soft voice.

I shook my head slightly and turned my gaze away from the now contained magic to look up at the giant dragon in front of me.

"But… But, I said I couldn't make Toothless-"

'Luckily,' the Alpha said. 'There is more than one way to take this.'

"What?"

'If you use this spell one way, it will change the way a dragon ages. But if you make it another way it will affect the way a human ages.'

I blinked. "Wha…?"

'If you truly cannot ask Toothless to change for you, then you can change your age if you so wish.'

I inhaled sharply. Was it true? Could I simply change my age to match Toothless'? Did I really want to? Could I really do something like this to myself?

These were questions that I could figure out later. I pulled on the strings on the pouch, which closed up. I tied the string around the edge for good measure before putting the pouch back on my belt. I looked up at the Alpha.

"What do I have to do?"

'Take this essence, and bring it to the purest of waters of your home. Mix the essence into a cup of water, then pluck the scale from the dragon whose lifespan you wish to have and drop it in there. The scale will dissolve, the drink will change color, and you must drink the whole cup. When you wake the next morning, your new lifespan will begin.'

I nodded. I understood what I had to do, I just had to figure out what I was actually going to do.

'It is late, child,' he said. 'We should all be resting now. Tomorrow is a bright, new day, we must prepare for it.'

"I agree," I stood up from the rock and grabbed my boot. "Goodnight."

'Goodnight, Hicca.'

I shook the excess water off my foot before slipping my boot back on. I had started to walk away when the Alpha spoke again.

'And one more thing,' he added, and I turned around. 'The process must be done under the full moon. If it is done any other way, the spell will not work.'

I nodded. "I understand," I said. "And… Thank you so much."

It was kind of hard to tell, mostly because he was so massive, but I knew that I could see him smiling down at me.

'You're very welcome, child. Now please, get some rest.'


	7. A Family United

**Hey guys! Look who's updated! Now, this chapter is a bit shorter than what I usually like, but I think it's okay and that it can work for right now. I know it's been a while, and I hope you like what I've got.**

* * *

Ch. 7  
A Family United

Breakfast that morning had been a little quiet, or as quiet as it could be when there were hundreds of dragons flying around you. My mom was still as happy and excited as she had been the other day, still talking about all we could do now that she and I were together again. I remained mostly quiet through the whole thing. I was not paying that much attention to her, and paying more attention to other important things.

I have not told Toothless about the magical essence that could change my age. Reason one; he was already asleep by the time I went back. Reason two; I still wasn't sure what to do with it. I was sure that Toothless would instantly volunteer to take it instead of me, but I wasn't sure if I wanted him to do that. I mean… 800 years is a very long life. How could anyone want to give that away? There was so much to do and experience with a lifeline like that, and I didn't want Toothless giving it up because of me. I'm just going to keep the essence safe with me until I've figured out what to do.

The other thing on my mind was Berk. Whether I wanted to be chief or not, that place was my home, and it always will be my home. And if there was anyway to save it, I was going to do it. Talking to Drago might be a risky task, and maybe it even work. But, if there was any chance that it would, then I had to try.

After breakfast I told mom that Toothless and I wanted to go check out the nest ourselves, and do our own exploring. I don't know if she really believed me, but she did say that it was okay and to be back in time for lunch. Of course, Toothless could tell that that wasn't what was on my mind, and he made that very clear later.

'You're a terrible lair,' he said to me as I tightened the straps my flying suit.

"Only to you," I said, not looking at him. "And right now, that's okay."

As I fixed up my suit, I looked out into the icy haven. Waking up and seeing dragons in a place like this was definitely something I would love to get used to. Ever since I discovered my love for dragons I always thought the idea of seeing them constantly like this would be wonderful. But, right now, I had to take care of some bigger things before all of that.

"Well, bud, we can't wait around for Drago to attack this place," I said as I finished fixing my flying suit. "We've gotta find him first."

'Are you sure it's a good idea not to tell your mom about this?' Toothless asked. 'I'm just saying, you could've at least told her where we're going."

"If I had, she'd never have let me go," I told him seriously. "She's just like my dad, they don't even want to try talking."

"Well, with Drago's history you can't really blame- _Oh, would you all stop it!_"

I turned around and giggled. For the past 10 minutes a small herd of Nadder babies had been bugging the crap out of Toothless; jumping on him, biting his ears, squalling in his face, and all of it was annoying the Night Fury to no end.

"Would you relax?" I said, half laughing. "Seriously. I'm starting to think you don't like kids."

"Of course I like kids," Toothless defended. "You've seen me play with the children in the village. I just don't like _these _kids."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. C'mon, let's go."

But before I could even move, I felt a large, beefy hand come up and cup over my mouth. I gasped and let out a muffled yell. Toothless whipped around, growling and teeth bared, and then quickly relaxed.

'Stoick?'

"Easy now," I heard a low voice say.

I grumbled into the large hand before grabbing it and yanking it off. I stepped back and turned around. It was my dad.

"Are you kidding me?!" I hissed at him. "First of all, don't ever do that! Second of all, how the hell did you even get in here?"

"Same way we're gettin' you out," he said as he shoved my helmet into my hands. I only just realized that I had lost it before.

"'We?'"

"All clear," said another voice, and I looked up to see Gobber poking his head out of the rocky entrance that we had come through before.

"Gobber?"

"Let's go," my dad said firmly as he grabbed my arm. "Toothless, you too."

My dad started dragging me against my will towards the entrance. I looked back at Toothless, who quickly started to follow.

"Uh, dad, hold on! J-Just wait a second," I said urgently, trying to keep up with how much he was dragging me. "There's, uh, there's something you need to know."

"Yeah yeah, tell me on the way," he said as he released me.

"No offense dad, but this isn't an on the way kind of update."

"I've heard enough, Hicca."

"You have to listen to her, Stoick," said Toothless, who had suddenly changed into his human form so he could move around the rocks more easily. "This isn't something you can ignore, you need to hear it now."

"Lad, when a man says he's heard enough, he's heard enough," my dad told him sternly.

"But, Toothless is right, dad," I said breathlessly, trying to catch up to him. "This isn't something pointless that can be ignored. Actually, it's, uh, more of the earth-shattering development variety."

My dad scoffed. "Yeah, just add it to the pile."

"O-oh boy, uh… Dad, u-unlike most surprises I spring on you, this is one you're gonna like. I promise!"

"You just have to me calm," Toothless grunted as he squeezed through a particularly tight spot between two rocks.

"Exactly!" I said. "You just have to handle it… err, delicately. Yes! So, whatever you do, don't…"

But my words trailed off as my dad stopped walking, and I stopped too. I looked forward to see Gobber standing at the edge of the exit, completely still.

"Gobber?" asked Toothless.

Gobber slowly turned around, his jaw hanging open and his eyes wide as dinner plates. He walked towards my dad, patting his shoulder as he passed him.

"Ehh… you might want to take this one…" he flopped back onto the wall and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Oh boy…"

I smiled. I knew that Gobber was acting like this because he had seen my mom. Then my dad pulled out his sword and started marching towards the exit. I gasped.

"Uh, d-dad! Could you put the sword away? _Please?!_"

But he didn't listen to me, and went through the exit. He took two steps out before letting out a sharp gasp and stopping dead in his tracks. I slowly walked forward behind him and then leaned my head to the side. My mom was standing just 10 feet away, and was staring at my dad with fear in her eyes.

There was a loud clang, and I looked around to see that my dad had dropped his sword. I stared. Dad never dropped his sword for anyone or anything. He reached up and took his helmet off of his head and lowered his arms to the ground. I looked at him for a moment before looking back up at my mom. There was a few moments of silence between them.

"I know what you're gonna say, Stoick," my mom said finally. "How could I have done this? Stayed away all of these years and why didn't I come back to you? To our daughter?"

My dad didn't say anything. He dropped his helmet, and slowly started to walk towards my mom.

"Well… what sign did I have that you could change, Stoick? That _anyone _on Berk could? I pleaded so many times to stop the fighting- to find another answer, but did _any _of you listen?"

"This is why I never married," said Gobber. "This, and one other reason…"

"Not the time," Toothless whispered.

"I know that I left you to raise Hicca alone," my mom said, and this time there was fear in her voice as she slowly started to step back. "But I thought she'd be better off without me. And I was wrong, I see that now, but…"

My dad still said nothing. He was only a foot away from her now. My mom looked terrified as she stepped back until her back was against the giant wall of ice.

"Oh, stop being so stoic, Stoick!" she snapped. "Go on! Shout, scream- say _something_!"

My dad slowly lifted his hand and cupped the side of my mom's face. She froze, staring at him. There was a pause.

"You're as beautiful as the day I lost you…"

I inhaled sharply. I've never heard my dad say something so wonderful in all of my life. Then, he did something I had never seen before; he grabbed my mom's chin, gently pulled her face up, and kissed her. It lasted about a second before he pulled away. My mom stared up at him, eyes wide and watering. I sighed as I smiled. I felt something warm and scaly enclose around my hand, and I turned to see Toothless smiling down at me. I grinned up at him as we both turned back to look at my parents.

* * *

**Austen's P.O.V.**

"Ugh! Could this day get any worse?" Snotlout groaned.

"Uhh, lemme see," said Tuffnut. "We're gonna jump into freezing cold water, and then die from drowning."

I rolled my eyes. Leave to the idiot twins to make everything better. I leaned my head over the edge of the ship to look down at the black, rushing water below. Even if I could stay afloat, I would still freeze to death. I looked over and saw Eret looking down as well.

"Looks refreshing," he turned around and walked back towards me. "Please, you first."

I growled and fought against the two guards holding my arms. I was sure I had bruises on my arms and legs from when they separated me from Stormfly.

"How can you stand there and smile at me?" I hissed lowly at him. "My dragon- my girlfriend is gone and is probably gonna be killed because she saved you from getting skewered back there! You are a steaming heap of dragon sh-"

"Duck!"

Eret swung around, and I instinctively ducked my head. I heard loud grunts and the guards holding me let go. I leaned up to see that they both had been knocked down. I turned around to look at Eret and saw that he had released himself from his bindings and was holding both of the guard's weapons in his hands.

"Stop him!"

"Warn the others!"

"Get 'em, you son of an Eret!" Ruffnut cheered, grinning at him.

Eret waved both weapons and knocked two men off of their feet. A third blew a red blow dart at him, but Eret ducked, and the dart hit another man behind him. Fishlegs then ran forward and leapt up, landing with a loud thump on top of the one who blew the dart. The dart pipe flew into the air, and Eret caught it. He whipped around, aimed at the guy who was running off to warn the crew, and blew. The red dart shot out and it the man in the back. He stopped running, stumbled for a minute, and then fell over.

"Okay, I love you again," Ruffnut said quickly, running over towards Eret.

Snotlout stared at her, looking crestfallen.

"Eh, pathetic," said Tuffnut, looking at Snotlout. "You can still jump."

Eret picked up his knives from the guard that had taken them, and he turned to face me, a large smirk on his face.

"So, we going to save your dragons and get out of here, or not?"

I gave him a sly smile as I raised in eyebrow. "Only if you can handle it, trapper."

Eret walked over to me and quickly cut the ropes holding my hands together.

"Check every trap," he said. "They're here somewhere."

* * *

**Eret's P.O.V.**

It was just my bad luck that once we split up to find the beasts that I got paired up with the one called Ruffnut. The last thing I needed was for her to be all over me, especially now. But, luckily, she seemed to be laying off due to the situation. Still, the looks she kept giving me were no less creepy. She looked like a wolf about to pounce its prey.

"Anyone coming?" I grunted as I started opening a trap.

"I don't know, you just keep doin' what you're doin'," she said, gazing at me. "Keep cranking…"

I rolled my eyes before I stopped cranking the switch. Looking around real quick to make sure no one was around, I climbed up the trap and hopped right in. I knew instantly that this was one of their dragons, because I recognized it best. It was Austen's dragon, the Deadly Nadder he called Stormfly. She was covered from head to claw in chains, all of which were keeping her trapped down on the floor.

The second my feet landed she opened her eyes and stared up at me, huffing wildly. It was almost like she was afraid.

'What do you want?' I heard a strong, female voice ask in my head.

"Don't worry," I said quickly. "I mean you no harm."

The dragon didn't say anything else, but just stared at me. I slowly and carefully walked forward towards her, kneeling in front of her when I was close enough to touch her. I gently reached my hand out toward her, almost touching her snout. I stopped when I was a few inches away from her, and I stared into her large, amber eyes. It was then that I noticed how beautiful they were.

"Thank you, for saving my life," I whispered.

Stormfly gazed up at me for a moment, as though considering me. Then, she reached her snout up and pressed it against my hand, letting out a soft, gurgling sound that vibrated against my palm. I couldn't help the smile that stretched on my face. How could I have ever though that this creature was a monster worth hunting?

"Now let me return the favor."

Stormfly opened her eyes to look up at me. 'You're going to help us?'

"Indeed," I petted her snout gently. "Before, Austen said that you were a mother. Is that true?"

Stormfly bowed her head. 'Yes,' she said lowly. 'I have 2 sons and 1 daughter. They… they don't have a father to take care of them, he died before they hatched. If I can't get home, I don't know what will happen to them.'

There was a crack in her voice as it shook slightly. I stared down at her in sympathy. Yes, this creature was a mother alright. I could see the motherly love and the instinct to protect in her large eyes. And like any mother, she'll do anything to save her children, no matter what. It was my fault that she was stuck here in the first place, now I had to help her.

"Stormfly," I said. "Have no fear, you'll be reunited with your little ones soon enough."

'I'm not afraid,' she said, rather stubbornly.

I chuckled. "Then you have nothing to worry about. I can see why Austen fancies you. Now, let's get you and your friends out of here."

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**Like I said, it was a short chapter. I'll try to make the next one longer to make up for it, but I hope you liked what I got. I'll see yah next time!**


	8. The Dancing and The Dreaming

**Hey Everybody! Yes, it's been a while. Yes, this is still kinda short. But, I was able to add some stuff to lengthen it, so hopefully it's still good.**

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Ch. 8  
The Dancing and The Dreaming

This was just amazing! My parents… both of them… they were united! They were together again! Oh man, this was incredible! Not only was this good for me- I finally have a chance to see what it's like to have a mother and father in the same room- but _they _are in the same room together! This is just the opportunity I needed! If I can get them in a good mood at dinner, I can probably talk to them and convince them both that my plans for Drago might work. But, one step at a time.

The whole day was spent with mom showing dad the whole haven. She told him about how she came to be here, how she became part of this gigantic dragon family, how she became the dragon savior that she is today. Obviously, my dad was impressed. He clearly didn't think that if my mom was alive that she would be this amazing and cool with dragons. Even he was amazed by the beauty of the tavern. He got pretty annoyed when he ran into the hatchlings, though. That was a barrel of laughs for me and Toothless.

"Mom, I swear, if you walked into Berk right you, you wouldn't even recognized it," I said as I walked toward the fish basket, pulling out a few fish and placing them on my tray. "Where we used to make weapons, we now build saddles, wing slings, we even fix dragon teeth! It's incredible and- Hey, stop it you!"

Toothless had been sniffing his nose into the fish basket and had opened his mouth to try to grab some, but I quickly closed the lid. It snapped on his nose and he sat back, blinking up at me.

'What? I'm hungry!'

"You'll get plenty of food in a moment, my boy," my mom laughed. "Don't you worry."

'Tell that to her,' Toothless muttered, glaring slightly at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Anyways… Yeah, everything at Berk is incredible mom. You wouldn't believe how much everything's changed."

"Oh, darling, I can only imagine," she said, holding up a tray of skewered fish slices.

"Aye, your daughters changed Berk for the better," said dad, taking the tray from me and setting it on the table. "I think we did well with this one, Val."

"Thanks, dad!"

He grinned at me as he reached up and placed his hands on my mom's shoulders. She gasped, her shoulders seizing up as she fumbled with the tray, and the fish slices falling down onto the ground.

'Heck, yeah!' Toothless cried out happily, making a run for the fish.

But just as he got there, Cloudjumper beat him to it, scooping the fist up in his jaws. Toothless stared up at him, then sniffed the ground, as though expecting to find some more fish. When he found none, he sat up and looked at Cloudjumper sadly. The bigger dragon looked at him with his large, curious eyes.

'Oh, alright…'

Cloudjumper started making a hacking sound and a second later threw up half of the fish he had just eaten. Toothless gave a happy chortle and leaned forward, sucking the fish into his mouth with a disgusting slurp.

"I am not kissing you again until you've cleaned your mouth," I said firmly.

'Oh, please,' Toothless said, rolling his eyes. 'What about that time I gave you the fish?'

"That was different!" I said quickly, blushing as I turned to help mom pick up her mess.

"I'm, eh… a little out of practice…" she said sheepishly as my dad placed some new slices onto her tray.

I smiled at mom as I took the tray from her and walked over to Gobber, who was sitting by the fire pit. From behind me, I heard my dad chuckle.

"Well, yah know… I didn't marry you for your cooking."

"I hope not," said Gobber. "Her meatballs could kill more beasts than a battle axe. I've still got a few knockin' around in here," he joked, laughing as he patted his stomach.

I rolled my eyes as I walked back towards my parents.

"Just think, mom. With the way things are going, we'll all be back at Berk in no time!" I said happily. "And once you move back in, with all your dragons? Oh baby, Drago won't stand a chance. Not against me, you, or anyone for that matter. Everything is gonna be just great and-"

"Eh, slow down, dear," my dad said softly, putting a hand on my shoulder. "It's a lot to take in."

I frowned at him, then turned to look at my mother. I only just realized that she hadn't responded to any of what I was saying. She had her back facing me as she walked over to a small watering spot, not even looking at me.

"Oh… right. Sorry," I muttered.

I sighed slightly as I walked over to sit on one of the logs at the fire pit. Toothless shuffled over and sat down next to me, laying his head in my lap. I smiled as I petted him softly. Then, to my surprise, I heard something. Someone was whistling a soft, melody that I had never heard before.

"Oh, I love this one," Gobber said dreamily.

I stared at him for a moment before looking up, and I was surprised to see that the one whistling was my dad. He was gazing at my mom, who had gone solidly stiff. He slowly walked over to her, still whistling, taking the water jug from her hand and setting it down.

"Remember our song, Val?" he whispered.

And then, my dad did something that I had never seen him do before, and began to sing.

_**I'll swim and sail on savage seas…  
**__**With ne'er a fear of drowning…  
**__**And gladly right the waves of life…  
**__**If you will marry me…**_

All I could do was sit there and stare, gazing happily at my parents. I had never seen my dad act so tender before, and I was loving every second of it.

_**No scorching sun, nor freezing cold…  
**__**Will stop-**_

"Will stop me on my journey!" Gobber piped up, leaping to his feet.

I whipped around to glare at him, angry at him for interrupting.

'Not cool, man,' said Toothless.

Gobber rubbed the back of his neck as he flopped back down into his seat. "Sorry…"

My dad sighed irritably before turning back to mom and continuing to sing. As he did, I saw he had reached forward and had grasped her slender hand in his own.

_**If you will promise me your heart…  
**__**And love…**_

My dad looked at my mom expectantly, as though wanting her to continue. She didn't, remaining silent. My dad sighed, looking defeated.

_**And love me for eternity…**_

I gazed in amazement. My mom had started to sing as well. Her nervous posture had completely vanished and was replaced with a look of contempt. My dad was gazing at her, his eyes actually glittering. My mom turned to face him, a smile forming on her face.

_**My dearest one, my darling dear  
**__**Your mighty words astound me  
**__**But I've no need of mighty deeds  
**__**When I feel your arms around me**_

My dad let out a harty laugh, then started to dance with my mom as he continued to sing.

_**But I would bring you rings of gold  
**__**I'd even sing you poetry  
**__**And I would keep you from all harm  
**__**If you would stay beside me**_

My mom beamed as she joined in:

_**I have no use for rings of gold  
**__**I care not for your poetry  
**__**I only want your hand to hold  
**_

_**I only want you near me!**_

By now, everyone was dancing. Gobber had been tapping away on his leg and wooden peg leg before bouncing up onto his feet. He cheered, reaching back and pulling me up to my feet. I felt a nudge at my lower back, and turned to see a happy Night Fury dancing away as well, flashing his gummy smile at me. I laughed as I started to dance with him.

_**To love and kiss, to sweetly hold  
**__**For the dancing and the dreaming  
**__**Through all life's sorrows and delights  
**__**I'll keep your love beside me**_

_**I'll swim and sail on savage seas  
**__**With ne'er a fear of drowning  
**__**And gladly ride the waves of life  
**__**If you will marry me…!**_

At the last note, my dad had lifted mom up into the air, spinning her around. Gobber continued to sing, keeping the last tune going. It wasn't until I patted his chest and asked him to stop that he finally ceased. I heard more laughter, and I turned to see my parents embracing each other. I smiled at them.

"I thought I'd have to die before we'd have that dance again," my dad said breathlessly.

"No need for drastic measures," my mom said, half laughing.

My dad smiled, then slowly got down on one knee, holding my mom's hands.

"For you, my dear, anything…" he gazed up at her. "Will… Will you come home, Val? Will you be my wife once again?"

My mom stared down at him, her mouth slightly open. I felt a nudge at my side, and I turned to see Toothless.

'I got this,' he said in a hushed voice, nodding over to my parents.

He slowly and quietly waddled over to stand behind my mom. Then, he not-so-subtly nudged her forward, pushing her into my father's arms. They laughed, and I chuckled as I walked over to the pair of them.

"It would be nice to have you home, mom," I said softly.

"Exactly!" my father stood up on his feet, putting an arm around my shoulders. "We can be a family! What do yah say?"

Toothless pushed forward and reared his head up toward my mom. 'Please?'

My mom giggled, reaching up and petting his head. Then, she turned and smiled up at both of us.

"Yes," she sighed, eyes watering.

I inhaled softly, beaming at her. She smiled back at me.

"Great!" Gobber chimed in, pushing himself into the circle. "I'll do the cookin'!"

We all laughed as we broke the circle, my parents walking away, arm-in-arm.

"Thank Odin you didn't listen to me, dear," my dad said, looking back at me. "We never would've found each other."

"Yeah," I said. "Good I never listen, huh?"

"That's debatable," said Gobber, who was playfully glaring at me. "You've still got work piled up to Valhalla to take care of when we get back home, yah know."

"Err, right," I said, suddenly remembering all the work I had missed.

'Somebody's not being responsible,' Toothless teased.

I glared at him, shoving his snout away from me.

* * *

Night had come sooner than expected after dinner. My parents had both decided to spend the evening going around the entire haven. I didn't blame them. They had a lot of catching up to do, and a lot to discuss now that my mom was moving back in. There was still the situation with Drago that had to be dealt with, and I hoped that they would both come to their senses and realize that we could deal with this thing without war or anything. But, no matter what happens now, at least there was something amazing to look forward to. I'll be able to go home to Berk with my family.

Family… Even the word is enough to make me giddy. The fact that it won't just be me and my dad anymore, it'll be me and my parents, it was almost too much for me to handle. I nearly cried when my mom said she would come home.

After my parents went away to talk and Gobber fell asleep next to his dragon Grump, Toothless and I decided to take a stroll around the lake. We haven't really had any real time alone together since we went flying the other day, and that didn't really count since Austen and Stormfly decided to barge in.

"This was some day, huh?" said Toothless as he walked next to me in his human form.

"Yeah," I said. "Crazy. But, everything turned out perfect."

As we walked around the lake we could both see the Alpha, fast asleep in the water. He seemed to just hang out there all day, never really moving. I looked up at the mighty dragon. The thought of what he did for me last night, giving me the spell to change Toothless' age, it made my heart heavy. I still haven't told a soul about it, and I wasn't sure if I was going to. No, that was silly. I'd have to tell Toothless eventually, how else is one of us supposed to take it?

I felt Toothless' warm, scaly hand grasp my own.

"Are you thinking about Drago again?" he asked.

I sighed, thankful of an excuse to get the spell out of my head for now.

"Yeah, kind of," I said. "I mean, I want to try to keep the peace as much as I can, to keep anyone from getting hurt. I just need a chance to try, but… neither of my parents are giving it to me."

Toothless held my hand in both of his own. "They're just worried. With Drago's history, anyone would be. After all that he's done, you can't blame them for not thinking talking will work for him."

I stopped walking. "What do you think?"

Toothless sighed. Then, he stood in front of me and grasped my shoulders.

"I think," he said. "That whatever you decide will be the right choice in the end. It may not be the one everyone else likes, it may not even be the one you like, but I know everything will be okay no matter what you decide. You're the smartest being I know, Hicca, and I know you can finish this."

Toothless raised his hand to place it on my cheek. I smiled at him, holding the hand on my face. Toothless grinned, leaning forward and pressing his lips to my own. The kiss felt so wonderful; it felt like it had been years since I'd kissed him. I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him forward as he placed his hands on my lower back. We stood their kissing for a few moments before I felt his hands move to my hips, gripping them tightly. I didn't think anything of it as I continued to kiss him. Then, I felt him lower his hands and grasp the back of my knees.

The next thing I knew I was on my back on the soft, grassy ground, Toothless hovering over me as he kissed hard. I was so shocked I felt my heart skip a beat. It's wasn't unpleasant, but it was very surprising.

"Toothle-"

I had no time to ask before he was kissing me again, his hands gripping my legs tightly. I felt a breeze as the wings on his back flapped a bit. I felt his forked tongue graze my bottom lip before he finally leaned up. I was gasping for air by now, but he seemed completely fine. In fact, he was staring down at me with his large, piercing green eyes, which seemed to glow in the shadow. A wide smirk was on his lips as he leaned down low enough for our foreheads to touch.

"Hicca…"

I gasped slightly. I knew exactly what that deep, powering voice meant.

"T-Toothless… please…"

Toothless leaned forward, nuzzling my neck. I shuddered as his warm breathe tickled my skin.

"Relax, love," he whispered lowly. "I know you're not ready yet. I just love teasing you, that's all."

I let out an irritated grunt as reached up and shoved his arm. He chuckled, grabbing my arm and gently placing it on the ground.

"Oh, come on, it's no fun teasing you with that attitude."

I puffed my cheeks as I turned away from him. I realized too late that this was a mistake. I saw him lean forward and his lips brushed against my neck, making me tense up. He chuckled, peppering kisses all along my throat. I felt knot form in my stomach as I let out a soft sigh. It was truly amazing how gentle such a powerful creature like Toothless can be.

Toothless chuckled, leaning up to look down at me. His eyes had gone softer, and his smirk had turned into a smile.

"It's late," he said. "We should probably get some sleep."

I gulped. "Y-Yeah. We probably should."

Toothless grinned. Then, he stood up on his feet and offered his hand to me. I grabbed it, and he pulled me up so fast I landed right in his chest. I laughed, shoving him playfully.

"C'mon," I said.

Toothless placed an arm around my shoulders, and I placed one on his back as we both set off.

* * *

**Drago's P.O.V.**

It was late at night, and my men are hard at work, making sure our ships reach the haven by sunrise. The prisoners and that idiot, Eret, were dumped off miles from here. No doubt they've freeze to death by now. As I stood alone on the front deck, looking out at the dark ocean, I thought about everything the blonde boy had told me. Stoick the Vast… I remember him. He was among the chiefs that I had come to offer help to a long time ago. I thought he had burned along with them, but it seemed he survived.

More of the boy's words were still ringing through my head, many of them sticking out more than others. _Hicca… Dragon Master… Night Fury... _He had said that this Hicca was Stoick's daughter. I snorted. That fool couldn't even produce a strong son to take his place as chief. But, it was apparent that she was not like other Viking women that I had come across. She was apparently some kind of dragon trainer- a master, he called her- one that had been traveling on the lookout for dragons everywhere. And, what was most extraordinary, it seemed she had the strength to tame a Night Fury to her will.

Now, I was never much for Night Furies, but I did know how powerful they are, and how much rarer they are becoming. The fact that anyone could even find one and live to tell the tale is surprising enough, but to actually control one. But, from what I can tell, this- _girl _didn't try to control them and use them for her own, as I do. She tames them, befriends them, and lets them wander about like pathetic pets. How foolish can one be?!

Still, despite the fact that she clearly has no clue of what she could do if she actually tried, the fact that she has such an impact on dragons is… fascinating. I am not a naïve man, I am aware that this woman must be powerful, and with a Night Fury on her side, even more so. Still, it is clear that she doesn't have the guts to see what she can really do with dragons. But, what if she did use them as they should be used? What if she saw how powerful she could be with them, and chose to use that power?

I started to pace around the surface, arms at my side. If I could persuade her- which should not be difficult in the slightest- then I could have a powerful, intriguing alley on my side. With my power and her influence, it would not be difficult to control these dragons and use them to our advantage. But, how?

And the idea came to me in an instant.

"Soldier!" I bellowed.

One of the men who was on deck nearest me jumped. He straightened his helmet as he ran quickly towards me.

"Yes, sir?" he asked quickly.

I smirked. I could see the fear in his eyes; how delightful.

"How much longer until we've reached the island?"

"Erm… w-well," the soldier gulped. "We should be there by tomorrow afternoon, I think, sir."

I nodded. "Stop the ships. There's been a change of plan."

"Change, sir?" he asked. "But, we're so near, why can't we keep-"

"DO NOT QUESTION MY TACTICS!" I yelled. "GO NOW, AND TELL THE MEN TO STOP THE SHIPS!"

The man jumped out of his skin, tripping over his feet as he turned and sprinted away. I straightened the cloak around my shoulders as I took a deep breath. This is why I have a dragon army; men are so cowards, uncoordinated and foolish.

I let out a sharp whistle. There was a loud cry, and something large and black soared above me. I raised my arm, and a large, dark hawk landed on my arm. It screeched, and I hushed it by brushing its head.

"Now, little one, I need you to send a message for me…"


	9. Failed Neutrality

**Hi. Yes, I'm back. No, I'm not dead. I'm going back to college again soon, I've just recently gotten a job, and... Well, I need to focus more. If anyone is even reading my stuff anymore, I appreciate your patience and thank you for staying with me through my shitty spells.**

* * *

Ch. 9  
Failed Neutrality

The morning was pleasant and sweet. Maybe it was the fresh air, or maybe it was how swimmingly everything seemed to be going. I have no idea. All I know is that I didn't want it to end any time soon.

I was cooking some fish that my parents had caught that morning. They were still out there. I could hear them talking and laughing from here. It made me smile, knowing they were getting along so well. And to think, soon this will be an everyday occurrence once we get back to Berk. The idea that I would finally have two parents- that I would actually have a family- gave me a warm feeling in my gut. And, now that I think about it, maybe this all will be enough to distract my dad from making me chief so soon. I mean, I know I will have to take the position eventually, and I will. Just… not now.

I was so busy cooking the fish that I almost didn't hear the sound of footsteps creeping up behind me. Before I could turn around a pair of arms wrapped themselves around me, and I felt someone kiss my ear.

"Morning, love," Toothless whispered.

I rolled my eyes. "Morning."

He nuzzled my neck, and I could feel the rumbling in his throat. "You smell lovely."

"You're just smelling the fish."

"Oh, right!"

Toothless leaned forward dramatically and sniffed the fish, a smile appearing on his face. I laughed as I pushed him back.

"Wait a minute, won't you?" I told him seriously.

Toothless groaned. "Ugh, fine…"

He released me and went over to the opposite wall, leaning against it and folding his arms, a pouty expression on his face. I stuck my tongue out at him before going back to the fish. At that moment, Gobber came shuffling him, hoisting his britches up higher than needed.

"Mmm, smells great," he sat down on a nearby rock. "At least your mother isn't cookin'."

"C'mon, she can't be that bad," I said.

Gobber raised her eyebrow. "The last time I remember her attempting to cook, your father was sick for three days."

I stared at him. Wow… She made dad straight up sick and he still loved her. Man, he seemed so different back then compared to how he was now sometimes. If I tried to make something and it made dad sick, he would've been pretty mad at me.

I was nearly done with the fish when my parents came in, giggling and holding each other's hands. My dad had a huge basket hanging off of his shoulders that was no doubt full of fish, and my mom was carrying the fishing poles.

"It's about time you two got back," Gobber gestured at them with is hook. "You've been out there for over an hour now!"

"Well, we would've been back sooner," my dad put an arm around my mom's waist and pulled her close. "But she just had to steal me away for a little longer."

"Stoick!" mom laughed.

I grinned.

Soon, the fish was done and was passed out to everyone. We all ate at a small, wooden table, sitting on stones placed all around it. Toothless sat next to me, still in his human form, eating some raw fish I had set aside for him. That was something I noticed about him lately. Whenever we weren't flying, he would nearly always be in his humanoid form. At first, it was just to walk beside me on the beach. But then, he started going everywhere with me in his other form, running small errands for me, even eating at the table with me and my dad. He'd still take his fish raw, but still. It was a bit odd, but I didn't question it.

I looked over at Toothless as he ate his fish. He must have felt me looking at him because he looked up at me. He smiled, and I smiled back as I went back to eating. I then felt something warm on my leg, and I glanced down to see Toothless' hand. This was something he often did whenever he ate at the table with me. Grabbing my leg, stroking my knee gently. Not wanting to draw attention to myself, I ignored it. But then I felt his hand shift, and it started sliding up onto my thigh. I stopped my eating and glanced sideways at him. He wasn't looking directly at me, but I could still feel is piercing eyes on me. I quickly looked up to see Gobber and my parents not even looking at us, all of whom were distracted in their own conversation. Toothless' hand continued to move up in a painfully slow manner, until his fingertips started to reach my inner thigh. I clenched my hand into a tight fist, trying not to move or make a sound. My heart was racing, and I felt my leg twitch. I could've sworn I heard Toothless chuckle as he gave my thigh a tender squeeze, and I inhaled quietly.

"Are you alright, dear?" my mom asked. "Do you need some more water or something?"

I assured her I was fine and she went back to her breakfast. I snapped my gaze over to Toothless, but he was already eating his own fish, a shit-eating smirk on his face. I was just considering kicking him in the shin when I heard something. A soft noise, almost like something shifting around.

"Did you hear that?" I asked.

"Hear what?" my dad asked.

I listened carefully, then I heard it again. It was clearer this time, and I could tell that it sounded like a pair of wings. Not dragon wings, bird wings. I glanced around to find the source of the noise just as there was a rather loud crowing sound. There was a heavy clatter, and we all turned to see a large, black hawk standing in an opening in the stone wall. It wasn't like any of the birds I had seen on this island, and there were very few. It glared at us coldly, almost judgingly, with its large black eyes.

"What on earth…?" my mom breathed.

"Look," said Toothless. "There's a note tied to its leg."

I looked at the hawk closely, and saw that it did indeed have a rolled up note tied to its claw. Before anyone else could do so, I stood up first and slowly walked over towards the hawk. It gave me a nasty look before turning its head away and sticking its leg out towards me. I hesitated before reaching out and softly taking the note from it. It lowered its leg and flew further away, landing on the countertop.

"What is it, dear?" my mom asked.

I slowly unrolled the letter, and looked down on the dark, jagged writing, and read it aloud.

"_Dragon Master, first I want you to know that I know where you are, and I am coming for you. I intend to take your dragons just as I have taken others. But, this does not have to end violently. At least, not yet. I've heard tales of the power and persuasion you hold over dragons. As a fellow controller of dragons myself, I am both bothered and intrigued by your ability. Because of this, I feel we may have some common ground upon which we can reach a compromise. So, I have stopped my armada in neutral waters for the time being. I suggest that you come at night onto my ship so that we may discuss this like adults, and hopefully we can reach an agreement. I await your response. Drago Bludvist."_

I slowly raised my head to look at the other. Every single one of them was gaping at me in shock. My dad was the first to speak.

"Don't even think about it."

"Dad, wait-"

"Hicca, you're not actually considering-"

"Yes mom, I am."

"Lass, I don't think-"

I ignored Gobber as I dropped Drago's letter. I opened the leather flap on my right arm and took out a piece of paper from it. I took out my charcoal pencil and began writing my response.

_I'll be there._

"Hicca, what are you doing?" my father asked in a harsh voice.

I dropped my pencil and rolled the paper up as I walked towards the hawk. It paused in the middle of cleaning its feathers to glare up at me, then stuck its leg out again. I quickly tied the note to its leg, and the second I finished it flew off.

"Hicca, what have you done?!" my mom cried, springing to her feet. "Have you gone mad?"

"Mad?" I gaped at her. "Mom, you heard that letter. Drago wants to talk! He actually wants to negotiate. This is the chance I've been looking for."

"A chance to what? To get killed?"

"Look, I know you guys think this is impossible, and maybe it is, but I have to try. At least then I'll know for sure."

"Hicca, we can't let you go," my dad said firmly. "It's too dangerous. You have no idea what he could do-"

"I'll be fine. Besides, I'll have Toothless with me."

At this, everyone turned to look at Toothless, who was looking much less cheerful than before.

"Say something!" my mother begged.

Toothless cleared his throat, wiping his mouth off before looking at all of them very seriously.

"I think we should give it a try. If it fails, at least then we'll know."

Everyone gaped at him, thunderstruck. I smiled.

"Thanks, bud."

My dad let out a furious grunt before turning and stomping out of the room. My mom gave me a painful look before turning and running after him, Gobber following close behind. I sighed. _I really hope this works._

* * *

"There he is."

Toothless floated there for a second. 'Are you sure you want to do this?'

"Honestly, no," I admitted. "But, I have to try."

'Very well.'

With that, Toothless began to fly towards the largest ship. It took only a few moments before the soldiers on deck noticed us and started to blow their horns. Along with the horns, I could hear what sounded like roars. More specifically, dragon roars.

"Steady…"

I could feel Toothless beginning to tense up as we got closer and closer towards the ship. Eventually, he closed his wings and we landed on the deck with a huge thud. The sailors all around us formed a large circle around us, pointing swords and spears in our direction.

"I was under the impression that we were invited," I muttered lowly.

'Maybe it was a trap?'

"I don't think so. They would've attacked us by now."

"LOWER YOUR WEAPONS!"

At once the sailors immediately lowered their arms, looking suddenly nervous. I could tell why. There was only one person on this voyage that could have that kind of command and authority in their voice. I looked up towards the upper deck and saw a looming, dark figure looking down at us. They jumped off and landed in front of us, making the deck shake dangerously. The sailors muttered as they all shifted around, breaking the circle so the stranger had room to move in. I slid off of Toothless as the figure walked closer towards us, and I immediately knew that it was Drago Bludvist. He looked as evil as my dad had described. Tall, massive as dad, dark soulless eyes, and he was dressed all in black. He was also wearing a dark cloak made out of what looked like dragon skin.

'Nightfury…!' Toothless hissed in my head.

_What? _I thought in my head.

'That cloak… it's made out of Nightfury skin!'

I inhaled sharply. But before I could respond to this new information, Drago spoke and a deep, throaty voice.

"This is the great, dragon master?! The daughter of Stoick the Vast?!"

Drago threw back his head and roared with maniacal laughter. Toothless growled at him, taking a protective step in front of me.

"What shame he must feel! Unable to bare even a single son to take over his throne. And yet," he seemed to live his chin up as he observed me. "What lovely young he has created."

Toothless hissed angrily, stepping completely in front of me. I reached up and grasped his head, making soft 'sh' noises.

"You should keep yours under control," Drago said, gesturing at Toothless. "We are in neutral waters. I am here to negotiate. Not fight."

"I understand," I stepped firmly in front of Toothless, looking as confident and determined as I could. "I'm willing to talk and negotiate."

Drago smirked. "I knew you would. Come. Let us walk."

With that, he turned and started to stomp in the opposite direction. Toothless and I looked at each other for a moment before we started to follow him.

"It stays."

"What?"

"Your dragon stays put. We will be talking alone."

Toothless snarled. 'Like hell you will-'

"Toothless," I said quickly. "Stay here."

'What? Hicca, you can't seriously trust-'

"No, I don't," I admitted. "But we don't have much of a choice."

Toothless glared at me, and I glared back. Then, after a moment, he sighed and sat down, but still at alert. I nodded at him before turning and running to catch up to Drago.

He didn't say anything as we walked. He just stared forward as we walked past the edge of the deck. As we did, I heard what sounded millions of bubbles. Curiously, I peeked over the edge and saw a huge cluster of bubbles bubbling in a circle in the water. It was like the water was boiling.

"Curious, isn't it?" Drago asked suddenly, making me jump. "How there is still so much in the world, that I know some things that you don't. Like what's down there for instance."

I gulped. "Um… what is down there?"

Drago chuckled darkly. "Trust me, you do not want to find out."

He turned and continued walking. I looked at the bubbles again before turning and resuming the walk.

"I've heard a lot about you, dragon master," Drago spoke. "About your skills with taming these beasts and using them to your advantage."

"I don't tame dragons," I corrected him. "I find and discover them, I learn about them. And my name's not 'dragon master'. It's Hicca."

"Ah yes, Hicca. An unfortunate name to be given to a woman," he turned and looked me up and down. "You are a Hiccup, yes?"

"Yes."

I was about to say 'so what', but the response caught in my throat.

"I thought so. Be grateful you were not born on my island. Any child as small and fragile as you would've been put down in an instant."

I frowned at him. _Put down, _I thought bitterly. _I'm not a dog._

"You've certainly made something of yourself, despite being what you are. Your skills with dragons is impeccable. And yet, how you use these creatures… it's a wonder they haven't killed you yet."

I blinked. "Sorry?"

Drago turned to fully face me. "You are able to overpower any dragon you please, yet you act as if they are your equal. You communicate with them, respect them as much as you'd respect any warrior, allow them to live in your very homes, and even let them transform into their other forms. Don't you realize how powerful they can be in their other forms?"

I frowned at him. I expected this; I expected him to disagree with what I do. I was ready for this. I took a deep breath and folded my arms behind me.

"I treat them the way they deserve to be treated. Dragons are intelligent, amazing and beautiful creatures. They can add so much to this world and bring us together."

Drago scoffed. "Or tear them apart…!"

He raised his hand and pulled his cloak back, revealing his left side. It was at that moment that I noticed his left arm looked weird. I looked a bit closer, and stared. It was entirely made of metal, from the shoulder down. I inhaled sharply as I looked up at Drago. He glared as he put his cloak back over his metal arm.

"Dragons are monsters," he growled. "Beasts that are meant to be tamed, and if necessary, slain. But, if dealt with correctly, they can be used for your own gain. It took me many years to discover this, and even more to perfect it. But, after much time and force, I was successful. I did what no man could ever do. I took control of the dragons."

I stared at him for a moment. My body felt the urge to take a step back, but resisted. Cautiously, I turned back towards the edge of the ship where I had seen the huge bubbles in the water.

"Is that what's in the water?" I asked, my voice barley a whisper. "Some kind of dragon?"

"Oh no… it is so much more."

I gulped. I really didn't like the way he said that.

"You disagree with me."

"Yes."

"I figured as much. But, I feel that I could persuade you."

"Do you?"

Drago smirked as he stepped closer to me. "Think about what you could accomplish, dragon master. More importantly, thing of what you and I could accomplish together. Imagine the power we could have with the dragons following our command."

_Our?_

"But… don't you think that there could be another way? There's no need to-"

"There is no other way!" Drago was suddenly right in front of me, towering over me. "Dragons are dangerous beasts beneath our feet that can be used for our needs, as they should. And anyone who isn't willing to do what it takes to them is weak and doesn't deserve to be alive!"

I was surprised that I hadn't backed away yet. For the first time in the past 3 days, I was scared- borderline terrified. I swallowed hard twice, even three times. I held my head high and my shoulders back as I looked up at him, determined to make my point.

"You're wrong. What you're doing to the dragons is wrong, and I could never do what you do.

Drago blinked. His face fell into a look of instant anger, as if the idea of me disagreeing was about as infuriating as being slapped in the face.

"We shall see," he turned on his heel, his cloak floating around his ankle. "Get off my ship! But, you better be prepared to lose your dragons. I can personally promise you, you will regret not listening to me."

* * *

I remained silent the whole flight back to the island. Toothless tried talking to me several times the whole way, but I ignored him. He continued to talk to me until the island slowly started coming back into view. It was still dark, but I could feel morning coming already.

Toothless landed gracefully onto the dark beach and I practically slid off of him onto the sand. He turned to fully face me, nudging me with his snout.

'Damn it, Hicca. Say something!'

I swallowed hard, looking at the ground. "We need to get everyone ready for tomorrow."

"What do you mean?"

"When Drago comes… he's bringing all of Hel with him."


End file.
